“Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender” -Alice Walker
Womanism is a feminist term coined by Alice Walker. It is a reaction to the realization that “feminism” does not encompass the perspectives Black women. It is a feminism that is “stronger in color”, nearly identical to “Black Feminism”. However, Womanism does not need to be prefaced by the word “Black”, the word automatically concerns black women. A Womanist is a woman who loves women and appreciates women’s culture and power as something that is incorporated into the world as a whole. Womanism addresses the racist and classist aspects of white feminism and actively opposes separatist ideologies. It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. This perspective is often used as a means for analyzing Black Women’s literature, as it marks the place where race, class, gender, and sexuality intersect. Womanism is unique because it does not necessarily imply any political position or value system other than the honoring of Black women’s strength and experiences. Because it recognizes that women are survivors in a world that is oppressive on multiple platforms, it seeks to celebrate the ways in which women negotiate these oppressions in their individual lives.
[…] Definition of the word “Womanism” from A Feminist Theory Dictionary […]
so can a male be a “womanist?” i’ve long considered myself a “feminist” in that i support equality and social justice for women. i’ve only recently heard the term, womanist. i’m an african-american hetero-male and raging liberal/progressive/social just slacktivist.
i’m fine being an ally. this isn’t about me. i just want to know where i fit in regarding your particular struggle.
cleve
There is the need to distinguish between womanism and feminism. In other words, womanism is an offshoot of feminism. I’m yet to see the rational behind the difference.
The rational is that while the middle classes white feminists were out demanding their rights they were not thinking about the rights of the “the help”, who cleaned their homes, cooked their meals, and raised their kids. When they were fighting for sexual liberation, they weren’t thinking about all brown women who were historically sexualized and eroticized.
And neither of them are paying attention to the needs of races that aren’t black or white. I’m really tickled to see an offshoot of Feminism specifically for black women, complaining about ‘separatist ideologies’. What about Native American and Pacific Islander women? Hispanic women? Asian women? Are we just going to have a bunch of different offshoots of Feminism or are we going to make Feminism adapt to the times and push it to encompass all women equally?
Ava, the word “black” is often used to mean politically black. Those who are othered for not being white. There was a time even the (aesthetically white)Irish were incorporated into political blackness as they were treated so poorly by their British and American white counterparts. There is no reason for “brown” women not to be included in the womanist movement, or indeed any politically black movement. While we celebrate our differences together, we also support one another in our shared alienation from white society. In the UK, during black history month we celebrate Diwali, Dia de los Muertos and many other food and music festivals which draw from Asian, African, Caribbean etc. etc. cultures!
You are absolutely correct!
Ngozi….Womanism encompasses feminism and not the other way round…by Walker’s metaphoric definition..womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender
[…] December 18, 2008 Was I just “othered” by a white feminist?* I suppose that wouldn’t be surprising. […]
[…] as the feminst and Womanist movements. In fact, Walker is actually responsible for coining the term Womanist, having derived it from the gendered chastisement, ”you act’n womanish.” Her […]
[…] December 18, 2008 Was I just “othered” by a white feminist?* I suppose that wouldn’t be surprising. […]
[…] A Feminist Theory Dictionary talks more about this: It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. […]
[…] A Feminist Theory Dictionary talks more about this: It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. […]
[…] A Feminist Theory Dictionary talks more about this: It includes the word “man”, recognizing that Black men are an integral part of Black women’s lives as their children, lovers, and family members. Womanism accounts for the ways in which black women support and empower black men, and serves as a tool for understanding the Black woman’s relationship to men as different from the white woman’s. It seeks to acnowledge and praise the sexual power of Black women while recognizing a history of sexual violence. […]
[…] Renee wrote an excellent post responding to an emailer who wanted to know whether a white woman can call herself “womanist. I’ll pull a Renee here — here’s a quote to get you started; you’ll have to head over to her blog to read the rest: I understand why womanism seems attractive from the outside. It truly advocates for the equality of all beings however, it is a movement spawned by the rejection of WOC; more specifically black women by mainstream feminism. […]
i relly suport the issue of womanism as a philosophy of the black woman.
If i were not taking a literature by women, class at college, regarding feminism and womanism I would have never known the difference. I had to look it up. I do support the idealism of womanism for black women.
Womanism is interested in d female condition n it capsulates women to be strong in mind n body…Womanism is family centered,its indeed an African phenomenon
…Womanism is family centered,its indeed an African phenomenon
Womanism is African feminism which believes in family centredness, community building, mothering and nurturing as well as community spirituality. It operates on binary complementarity of the sexes rather than on binary opposites. It believes in unity of the sexes as this is what community building and collaboration hinges on rather than on individuality of the sexes.
Womanism thrives on African culture which believes in mothering, nurturing and spirituality. It encourages humility which assists in self identity and promotes cultural awareness. It is indeed an African phenomenon which is rooted in African culture.
Womanism is African feminism which believes in family centredness, community building, mothering and nurturing as well as asserting spirituality. It operates on binary complementarity of the sexes rather than on binary opposites. It believes in unity of the sexes as this is what community building and collaboration hinges on rather than on individuality of the sexes.
Womanism thrives on African culture which believes in mothering, nurturing and spirituality. It encourages humility which assists in self identity and promotes cultural awareness. It is indeed an African phenomenon which is rooted in African culture.
Hello, Pray you’re well. I’m currently researching women in leadership in higher education through a womanist lens for my doctorate. I’m fascinated by your explanation of womanism. May I please quote you in my paper? And, could you please share WHERE your definition of womanism originates and if there’s a reference for me to access for further study? Thank you in advance. Peace and blessings.
[…] even more problematic because of how race and gender are configured on her body? What would womanists have to say about this one?6. Charlie Murphy! No, not really. But Lane’s father hitting him […]
please compear the concept of womanism and feminism as it affects or concern african society
[…] The term womanism, created by Alice Walker, who said “womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender”, was created to refer to the experiences of women of colour. It’s similar to black […]
[…] presented previously were overwhelmingly homogenous and exclusionary, women of color feminism, womanism and other more inclusive and worldly views of in/equality came to the forefront. Women of color who […]
[…] […]
[…] reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africana_womanism https://afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/womanism/ […]
[…] women, particularly African-American women, have adopted the concept of womanism in place of feminism. Author Alice Walker offered the term “womanism” to describe her desire […]
[…] για το προνόμιο. Δεν είναι τυχαίο ότι πρώτα γνώρισα το womanism, το κίνημα από κυρίως Αφρο-Aμερικανές, γενικά […]
[…] για το προνόμιο. Δεν είναι τυχαίο ότι πρώτα γνώρισα το womanism, το κίνημα από κυρίως Αφρο-Aμερικανές, γενικά […]
[…] work in a way that does violence to her own context and central concerns: Williams is a womanist theologian, and the ongoing racist oppression of black women is central to her work. When Williams […]
[…] wave” of Feminism, it seems as though the movement is becoming more fractured than ever. Womanism, Chicana Feminsim, Radical Feminism… There hardly seems to be anything coherent left. […]
I believe humanity is incorporated in womanism. I’d like to see it expressed. Humanity, the respect of and for being. It seems to be an all encompassing concept that equates all of us, or am I wrong?
Womanism is recreation of ideals rather than the creation of it! It believes in the binary fusion of the sexes wherein they are interdependent and complement each other. The focus is on family centredness wherein the worth of an individual could be attained within the society/community that produces it in establishing its identity. It has its root deeply enmeshed in African culture wherein the genders are seen as ‘binary order’ and not as ‘otherness’.
For a full detail of womanism and its tenets, see my PhD work entitled,’A Semiotic Appraisal of Womanist Ideology in Selected Plays of Zulu Sofola and Tess Onwueme’.
[…] she’s certainly one of the most famous. While others are coy about the word itself (sometimes with good reason), and others still quietly act feminist without identifying as such, Miley comes right out and […]
[…] I told you how much I love Kerry Washington? She proudly identifies as a feminist and womanist, actively engages in politics, and talks wisely about important issues in interviews. And this […]
[…] women my age who think that feminism should be a single issue and not have any off shoots at all. https://afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/womanism/. So, perhaps its isn’t a generation gap. Maybe feminism and all the offshoots, of which there are […]
I believe womanism incorporates all people of color not just black women
[…] If you know who Angela Davis and Alice Walker are—and you like them—you might be a feminist. (or a womanist) […]
[…] look at. It seems a few young women around my age think that feminism should be an umbrella term.https://afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/womanism/. So maybe it isn’t a generation gap, but maybe perspective. Maybe the off shoots of feminism, […]
[…] look at. It seems a few young women around my age think that feminism should be an umbrella term.https://afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/womanism/. So maybe it isn’t a generation gap, but maybe perspective. Maybe the off shoots of feminism, […]
[…] safe spaces away from both racist and sexist oppression. In 1979, Alice Walker coined the term “Womanist”, giving us a name that embodied our goals for liberation without the painful baggage that […]
[…] their blogs, writings, and essays which would have eventually led me to research intersectionality, womanism, Islamic feminism, post-colonialism and introduced me to the plethora of other feminists who have […]
Reblogged this on LaToria Todd and commented:
Womanism vs. Feminism, a class and racial difference. The question then becomes what then is a “Black Feminist?”
[…] movement’s long history of white supremacy, which spurred black women to create and foster womanism, but also feminism’s history with class bias, which privileges discussion of the problems of […]
[…] conversations, criticisms and analyses that have contributed to the evolution of black feminism and womanism were discussed. I’ve been watching the talks over the past couple of days and should be done […]
[…] Cela n’est ni nouveau, ni original: de nombreuses féministes le font, que ce soit pour dénoncer l’exclusion implicite des femmes noires ou pour souligner les divergences et contradictions qui parcourent le mouvement. L’expression […]
[…] commenter clearly wanted to assert an affirming view of feminism, but in the process, she threw womanism (a concept she did not understand), under the bus. While we’re all struggling to learn the […]
Womanism DOES, in fact, take into consideration all women of colour..all women that arent considered by the Eurocentric feminism.
Thank you! This is very insightful, and I am motivated to read Walker’s In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose for further understanding and research.
I have also read through the comments. It is clear that many are either not understanding the definition or are choosing to bypass the clarity of the definition. It states that “….A Womanist is a woman who loves women and appreciates women’s culture and power as something that is incorporated into the world as a whole. Therefore it doesn’t need to be prefaced by “black” [or any other race/ethnicity because it]… automatically concerns [black, brown, Asian, Native American, etc… women.
Ladies, read! Take a moment to truly understand the text and not be deafened by your own agenda.
I am a womanist! Never will I be a feminist.
Reblogged this on Lindelwa LIONESS.
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Reblogged this on First you Survive/ Then you Thrive.
Reblogged this on La Incognegra.
[…] ‘womanism‘ didn’t want to lose her connection with men how troubled these relations already may […]
I actually quite like the Womanist movement, and in many ways I prefer it to Feminism, but I feel that it would be rather disrespectful to call myself a Womanist- sort of arrogant in thinking I can understand the struggles of the minorities when I certainly have white privilege, and rather like cultural appropriation if not worse. Closest I can get, really, is saying that I like and respect the movement, even knowing that I cannot understand it well enough to be a completely legitimate member.
This is by far the most insightful comment I’ve ever seen by a privileged person. You not only acknowledge it but you also see that it puts you in a position where you cannot just hop on and say “I understand what you are going through”
Continue to grow in your truth. It is refreshing and necessary ❤
As a white woman myself, I totally relate to what you’re saying, TheGreatZambini. I don’t really agree with a lot of what feminism says, especially with many feminists not recognising men as equals in many ways or the like, but I do like what I’ve read about womanism so far & can relate to its ideals a lot more, even though I’m white. The focus on family & including men as equals & as real partners (at least that’s my understanding) & other things make a lot of sense to me.
Because of my own beliefs & views, I can’t really support most of feminism. Womanism really appeals to me, although obviously I’m not really part of it. I support it & greatly respectful of it & am very happy about what it stands for. We need more of this in the world, & I’d love to see a version or something similar that has no bearing on ethnicity, that’s all inclusive. Still, it’a cool to have a movement like this regardless of its origins or of who follows it.
[…] movement, Black feminism focused on the intersection of sexism, racism, and class oppression. Womanism came from this movement, and is thought by many to better encompass the experiences and mindsets of […]
[…] worried about feeling isolated from other feminists, including non-Black feminists of color, keep Alice Walker’s analogy in […]
[…] face, I stand in solidarity with all others facing injustice. I am a fervent feminist and a womanist ally. I am an ally to my siblings in the LGBTQIA+ community. I stand for justice, and do my best […]
[…] Womanist scholars gravitate to this text because in addition to that strength of self, this woman declares herself as dark skinned and proud of it (1:5). […]
I like Womanism more and I feel that it speaks to me as a Black woman.
[…] create this blog for a few reasons, the first reason that comes to mind is the interest I took in Womanism when I enrolled at Columbia as a Freshman in 2011. Throughout high school I always identified as […]
[…] Womanism (x) – Womanism is a social theory based upon the lives and experiences of Black women, aiming to change the gender-based and race-based oppression they suffer. The term was first coined by Alice Walker in 1979. Womanism is, in some ways, a response to how the feminist movement has alienated minorities throughout its history – something that many of us want to change through intersectional feminism. Womanism has allowed Black women to celebrate their culture in a way that feminism, sadly, has not. […]
[…] an afterthought – of feminism at best, and excludes her entirely at its worst? This is where Womanism emerges, a movement that centralizes Black women’s value in the fight for […]
[…] of color have found new ways to define themselves, such as Womanist, which was coined by Alice Walker, who is a novelist and activist, famous for writing “The Color […]
[…] a Lecturer at San Francisco State University. Because of her, I have learned that it’s OK to be a Womanist, that we should have conversations about things that make us uncomfortable, and to be more […]
[…] a Lecturer at San Francisco State University. Because of her, I have learned that it’s OK to be a Womanist, that we should have conversations about things that make us uncomfortable, and to be more […]
[…] dark-skinned, transgender, and disabled women. In response, many black feminists and womanists (women of color who fight for equality, but feel that “feminism” is too pasty) call […]
[…] Emma Gunde, “Womanism”, A Feminist Theory Dictionary, 17.07.2007. […]
[…] Walker‘s Womanism, Angela Davis‘ Women, Race and Class and Kimberle Crenshaw‘s Identity Politics […]
[…] of the word distract from the true purpose of the word, or they identify themselves as “womanist” in order to express and embrace a more intersectional feminism. And all of that is another […]
[…] of the word distract from the true purpose of the word, or they identify themselves as “womanist” in order to express and embrace a more intersectional feminism. And all of that is another […]
[…] Coined by Alice Walker, womanism is a reaction to the failure of feminism to address issues unique to black women. According to A Feminist Theory Dictionary: […]
[…] http://www.biography.com/people/alice-walker-9521939#synopsis https://afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/womanism/ […]
[…] 1983, Alice Walker gifted the world the term womanist. Womanism places Black women squarely at the center. Nowadays, pretty much any one can identify as […]
[…] Lemonade Beyoncé je otišla korak dalje i počela je tematizirati crni feminizam, odnosno womanism. Radi se o terminu Alice Walker koji problematizira ne samo spolne, rodne i rasne, nego i klasne […]
[…] stesso tempo aveva messo in atto, nella sua vita quotidiana, quella politica che porta il nome di Womanism. Termine difficilmente traducibile, ma che raccoglie in sè la femminilità africana, le qualità, […]
[…] https://afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/womanism/ […]
Reblogged this on OSHINUBI'S BLOG.
[…] Lorde is a writer, feminist, civil rights activist, womanist and librarian she is best known for her poems, which express anger and outrage towards civil social […]
[…] with athletes was my currency. Being a reporter, I would not necessarily reflect on feminism and womanism—at least that is not what I did at the time my career ended in January […]
[…] Lemonade Beyoncé je otišla korak dalje i počela je tematizirati crni feminizam, odnosno womanism. Radi se o terminu Alice Walker koji problematizira ne samo spolne, rodne i rasne, nego i klasne […]