Situating older Caribbean Canadian women in feminist research: a reflection

• Published in: Canadian woman studies 2004-12, Vol.23 (2), p.134
• Main Author: Mullings, Delores V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; Black people; Brand, Dionne (1953- ); Canadian literature; Caribbean Canadians; Caribbean literature; Feminism; Feminists; Ideology; Latin Americans; Politics; Social aspects; Social classes; Women; Women's studies
• ISSN: 0713-3235

Feminist research was and still is, to a large extent, based primarily on gender discourse and focuses on women's shared experiences of oppression in a patriarchical society (Driscoll and McFarland; Finch; Neuman; Neysmith). Feminist research aims to "develop knowledge that can contribute to the elimination of gender-based oppression" (Neysmith 59). Given that this paradigm is based on a gender analysis, it naturally targets male supremacy. It is therefore unlikely to account for racialized women's unique needs in society and specifically in the research process. Liz Stanley and Sue Wise challenge other White feminists on the oversimplification and overuse of the terms "gender" and "woman" in the feminist research process. They suggest, In this research, the participants and the researcher are of Caribbean descent; we do not fall neatly into any of the current methodological frameworks. Some areas of feminist and African American feminist methodology concur with my political positioning, these methodologies fails to account for my political reality as a Caribbean Canadian woman of African ancestry and it further compounds the livity of these older Caribbean Canadian women. Research process needs to accommodate participants' needs rather than expecting participants to fit the established molds, the needs of the researcher, and the proposed research agenda. Being cognizant of this perspective, it is unrealistic to attempt to separate Black women's experiences especially in light of our multiple social locations and identities. Sheila Neysmith suggests using terms and categories that are opposites of each other "rests on images of dichotomies, distinct divisions and separations" (61). Yet she suggests that one of the goals of feminist research is to "develop knowledge that can contribute to the elimination of gender based oppression" (59). It then begs the question: How do Caribbean Canadian women integrate our experiences into mainstream White feminist ideologies without proposing separatist arguments and enduring continued silencing, exclusion, and invisibility? Patricia Hill Collins (2000) helps with this tension by articulating that an alternative epistemology must be used to emphasize Black women's experiences. African Americans of various ages and social class have been widely included in scholarly work given their historical presence in the United States. This has not been the case for Caribbean Canadians people. Dionne Brand, in her narrative No Burde