Can a man teach feminism?

[lucydogz]

Reading the Guardian colour supp today, an article about gal dem quotes 2 young black women saying they were shocked, when taking a class on Feminism at Bristol university, that it was taken by white man.
Firstly, I see no relevance in his race. But why shouldn't a man teach Feminism?

@Monday55 Who teaches you French, or the history on slavery, or Hinduism, is your business.

"You are no different than anyone who asks those above question. What you stated is discrimination."

The law permits some forms of discrimination. For example one can indeed advertise for a French chef, or for a male or female to do a specific role. I'd probably be unlikely to want to study a religion from someone who did not practice that religion either. Though I recognize for school kids etc it is not necessarily a big issue.

I think teaching of feminism is a role that one could be expected to be taught by a female.

Not all discrimination is legal or illegal, nor is all discrimination good or bad. There is definitely an argument to be made for the history of American slavery to be taught by a person of American of Afro Caribbean origin.

Although slavery is a massive subject which still exists today and affects people all over Asia, Latin America and Europe and elsewhere so not sure one could definitely say who should teach a subject on it.

For me, feminism is not about equality. So it's not about equality of opportunity for who teaches it. For me, I would not want to study a class on feminism led by a man. That's my choice.

I think someone mentioned earlier. When you do your research you can contact the women on the high table of feminism through their PAs if you can get gold of them or look up any speeches they've made on YouTube or podcasts and take it upon yourself to get more Intel. University is 30+ hrs of independent studying, lectures are there for support.
Just as anyone interested in deeper meaning of religion would do. I'm sure they'd attent a local church or mosque etc and ask to speak to someone a little bit more spiritual towards that religion.
. Even though the subject was introduced by someone atheist.

schools/colleges/Universities might not have the resources to bring in a centenarian to discuss what it was really like to live In the trenches during the war. So they make do and any clever student will go off and do their own research if it's a subject of interest.

@italiangreyhound

so it's ok for the rest of the world to look at you and say whoever teaches you feminism is none of their business ? WTF? are you even listening to yourself or reading what you're writing should I say?.
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You can't replace oppresion with oppression because that would make you a hypocrite not a feminist unfortunately

It's a fraught question.

There are a few courses on the UK in African studies. Most of the academic specialists (who have PhDs and publications) are African by birth or descent. Teaching in the UK, many of their students are white British. If a white student is profoundly interested in African studies, conpletes a Masters and a PhD in African studies and publishes academic work in African studies, should that person be denied employment in a department that teaches African Studies?

If a man studies for a PhD in sociology of women's employment, and publishes books confirming the social structures underlying the wage gap, should he be denied a position teaching women's studies in a Sociology department?

I don't think there are easy answers to these questions, from an academic perspective. However, the current reality seems to be that VERY few men study women's studies to that level.

So I'm torn between wanting more men to take Women's Studies and wanting to preserve Women's Studies lectureships for female academics.

@italiangreyhound and when it comes to slavery those who where slaved are the ones who where oppressed. So why would a male/female white teacher teach the slave trade to African people ? but it happens right ?
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you've again entered the same hole as other people on here who decide to pick and choose what feminism is all about. and feminism is about equality for everyone..You can't come up with your own definition, as that wouldn't make you feminist as you're clearly disregarding what feminism really stands for.

Monday55
You can't replace oppresion with oppression because that would make you a hypocrite not a feminist unfortunately

And yet you fail to see the problem with the oppressor teaching the oppressed a calss on their political movement to overthrow the oppressor? Srsly!

Class not calss. Pardon my French.

and feminism is about equality for everyone..You can't come up with your own definition, as that wouldn't make you feminist as you're clearly disregarding what feminism really stands for.

You can tell this lie a thousand times but Feminism has never ever been about equality with and for men. Feminists have explained this repeatedly ever since the men started insisting that Feminism should be about equality during the backlash. I was there. I remember it very well.

@thebew...I don't have a problem with the oppressor teaching hence why I said I never called my teacher racist or inexperienced for teaching me subjects they had no relation to such as history on slavery and religious education.
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.You guys are the ones who have a problem with it hence why I've been saying if the student isn't convinced considering they're at University they should know better and do their own research to understand what's going on even if it means contacting other feminists who've been fighting the cause for a long time.
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no need to twist my words
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for the discussion to end we would need to interview this lecturer who started this whole debate and see what he has to say for himself

I would not want to take a class from a person whose life experience prevented them from knowing any more about the subject than I could learn by reading the same book they did. What would be the point?

@thebew quiet frankly that's what feminism is... otherwise you might have to come up with a new name for your cult. I don't see the point of trying to score browny points with men on who can do better at what when we can just share the cake equally.
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some feminist do tend to choose and pick and this has been proven so many times in this thread.

"I would not want to take a class from a person whose life experience prevented them from knowing any more about the subject than I could learn by reading the same book they did"

thebewilderness so that's every history teacher out of a job then....

You appear to be an adherent of the 5th rule of misogyny: Women and Feminism must be useful to men or they are worthless.

Consequently there is no point in trying to discuss a matter with you that you are entirely ignorant of.

FYI someone whose user name is thebew is going to wonder why you sent them an email alert.

You do know that some lectures are assigned lessons right ? They don't get to choose every unit they teach. The poor guy might have been covering a maternity leave or perhaps If the head of that department was a women would that make you sleep at night or would you bend the definition of feminism again to make yourself feel better?
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Twice.

so that's every history teacher out of a job then....
That wouldn't be fair then would it.
Maybe I'll just avoid taking classes from men who know less about the subject than I do, eh?

@Monday55

"so it's ok for the rest of the world to look at you and say whoever teaches you feminism is none of their business ? WTF? are you even listening to yourself or reading what you're writing should I say?"

I really have no idea what you are saying.

"You can't replace oppresion with oppression because that would make you a hypocrite not a feminist unfortunately"

Are you saying it is oppressive not to let men teach feminism? Because if that is what you are saying, I think you we just have different ideas of what feminism means.

Your manner is quite aggressive so I think I will stop engaging with you now. I am pretty sure you are not interested in what I have to say and I can't understand what you are saying to me, so maybe best if I just leave it.

This whole whole thread could be a reminder that a man needs a minimim of a PhD in Women's Studies before he could be anywhere near qualified to teach any aspect of feminist theory.

If when you say 'teaching' you mean run a university department, design courses, research and publish then yes you would need to be a feminist and a woman. This is being an academic it is NOT being a teacher.

If when you say 'teaching' you mean A level politics or sociology then it is ludicrous to suggest only women can teach the topic.

Without wanting to be too critical I have found that academics aren't always the best teachers and some have rather limited teaching skills.

I understand that you do not know how the website works nor the difference between bolding a name and @ing them a message. That is why I told you that you were sending an email to some unsuspecting person while the person you thought you were annoying was on the thread with you.
Do you normally text people to interrupt them while you are talking to them? Odd thing to do.

@italiangreyhound your first reply to me was aggressive and I had to reply in the same manner.

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again another hypocrite statement...You expect everyone to abide by your ways and treat you nice but you won't treat others in the same manor..because its none of your business? (as you noted on your first reply )
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.I'd be happy to get an essay insight on how you've landed in possibly the 100th definition and meaning of feminism

Monday55 I have reported your personal attacks on this thread as they violate of talk guideline.

Could not stick the flounce! -3.