I decided to focus my post on the concept of resistance, specifically revolving around the idea of small but powerful forms of resistance. We could see this in the film, Wadjda, which is about a Muslim Saudi girl. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and found it incredibly inspiring. This film helped to reinforce the concept that we discussed a lot in class. Resistance can be simple acts that push against the societal boundaries that have been placed by the government and patriarchy in the third world. The first world has a much different view and definition of resistance, which includes protests, petitions, and social reform. But in Wadjda, we can see that her simply wearing different shoes and wanting to ride a bike is a form of resistance.
We can also see this in many of the readings we did, such as Playing with Fire. In this story, we can see knowledge production as a form of resistance. The family members and members of the villages were against the idea of them raising their voices and writing this book. In fact, some of the authors in the story wrote in secret to avoid persecution. They shared their stories of violence, abuse, addiction, and troubles with finding work. Another form of resistance was criticizing the NGOs that the girls worked for. Although working to give women more rights and freedoms, the writers of Playing with Fire wrote about the injustices and unfairness that they experienced and witnessed while working. They discussed this at the end of the book and faced criticism. So, the girls decided to write another book as a form of resistance.
Looking back to the film, the director, Haifaa Al Mansour, and the concept itself is a form of resistance. In an article that I read, they explained how the Saudi government will not show the movie in cinemas because they are banned, and Al Mansour is the first female film director in Saudi Arabia. Through the story, she hopes “it will inspire many girls in Saudi to become filmmakers," she said. "That makes me very proud.” Something as simple as a concept of a movie or filming in conservative neighborhoods is a form of resistance. She did not blatantly call out the problems and issues of patriarchy in Saudi Arabia, but she created a character who pushes the boundaries just enough to create the conversation and put the thought into other young girls minds. Resistance is powerful and comes in all forms.
You can find the article here: https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/25/world/meast/saudi-film-wadjda-mansour/index.html
When you were talking about small forms of resistance I couldn't help but tie it to the chapter I did on my country, Indonesia. Many small forms of activism are taking place in Indonesia such as websites and journals trying to promote the acceptance of the LGBTQ community due to the recent crackdown of non-heterosexual rights. It is important to understand that small forms of activism are important due to the fact that they are subtle enough to make slow progress instead of further damage it. Some larger forms of activism are met with strong resistance by the government, claiming that basic human rights are western ideals and are a threat the the traditional values of Indonesia. In Wadjda, Wadjda knew that she would not be able to go to school and get a proper education if she completely rejected some of the harsher restrictions such as the dress code and straying from religion. She behaved in some ways like a "proper" muslim girl, but also worked towards getting something that would allow her some freedom and didn't follow the conventional ideals of what was considered a boy's toy. If she had spoken against her teacher in the beginning, she probably could not have ridden her bike in the end.
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