[Discussion] Women and the Colonial Gaze

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	*Tamara L. Hunt and Micheline R. Lessard, eds.* /Women and the Colonial 
Gaze//. /New York: New York University Press, 2002. viii + 258 pp. 
Notes, index. $60.00 (cloth), ISBN 0-8147-3646-7; $20.00 (paper), ISBN 
0-8147-3647-5.

Reviewed by *Burcak Keskin-Kozat*, Department of Sociology, University 
of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Published by H-Women <http://www.h-net.msu.edu/%7Ewomen> (March, 2004)


*Many Colonialisms, Similar Images: Women as Objects and Subjects of the 
Gaze*

This collection of fifteen essays intends to untangle the complex 
interrelations between colonialism and gender. The contributors 
investigate how women were depicted in colonial policies, anti-colonial 
resistances/nationalisms, Western scholarship, and travel-writing. They 
successfully illustrate that such representations were created and 
manipulated in order to justify as well as to challenge the prevailing 
relations of domination and subordination.

There are five overarching themes in the collection. First, colonized 
women were depicted either as morally corrupt, ignorant, promiscuous 
individuals who needed the colonizer's guidance, or as noble savages who 
embodied desirable virtues such as chastity, modesty, and purity. 
Second, colonizers utilized these images both to legitimize their 
colonial administration and to control the women in the metropolis. 
Third, women from colonizing societies usually approached their 
colonized sisters differently than the male colonizers. Fourth, women in 
the colonies were "doubly colonized" because of their nationality and 
gender (p. 11). Fifth, the images of colonized women served as 
invaluable symbols for anti-colonial movements.

These are all warranted assessments; but are they not made before? How 
does the book really contribute to the rapidly growing literature on 
women and colonialism? In my opinion, the most distinguishing character 
of the collection is the breadth of its geographical and temporal scope. 
It is divided into three parts, each of which covers colonialism in 
Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The first part includes essays 
on the Roman Empire, medieval Spain, eighteenth-century Greece, and 
nineteenth-century Ireland. The following section dwells upon the 
colonial regimes in Brazil, Rhode Island, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, and 
Spain. The last part presents cases from India, Vietnam, Korea, 
Swaziland, and Ethiopia. The holders of the colonial gaze are men as 
well as women from both colonizing societies (such as the Roman Empire, 
Britain, or France) and colonized groups (such as Muslims in Spain, 
Indian nationalists, or Korean elites under Japanese invasion). The 
objects of gaze are usually the colonized women (such as the Native 
Americans, or Indian indenture laborers) and sometimes the women in the 
metropolis.

Another significance of the book is that the contributors go beyond 
analyzing the typical confrontations between the colonizer and the 
colonized. In addition, they meticulously unpack how colonial relations 
are articulated in and through the existing gender, class, ethnic, and 
sectarian differences. Their vivid analyses shed a light on the 
inequalities, struggles, and co-optations among colonized as well as 
colonizing groups.

Unfortunately, the collection's weaknesses outweigh its important 
contributions. The essays grew out of a panel at the 1996 Berkshire 
Conference on Women's History. The venue of origin clarifies, to a 
certain extent, why some of the essays lack the organization that would 
be expected from a typical chapter or journal article. Specifically, 
each chapter presents abundant and novel data, but most of them fail to 
establish broader connections between the existing studies and the 
conclusions drawn from the particular case.

Another shortcoming is the lack of an overarching definition of 
colonialism. Although the editors state that "the concept of the 
'colonial' [in the book] is taken more broadly than in most anthologies 
of colonialism and imperialism," they do not clarify where--and 
whether--such extended boundaries end (p. 3). This is not to say that 
the contributors do not raise interesting theoretical and methodological 
points. Katherine E. Fleming's definition of "simulated colonialism" (p. 
39) and Jiweon Shin's focus on a non-Western form of colonialism are 
indeed innovative steps for the literature on (post-)colonialism. Their 
insightful approaches do not, however, extend to the other essays; and 
this reader wonders whether it would not be better to omit the term 
"colonial" from the title.

Finally, the extensive focus on the "gaze" silences--except in a few 
chapters (Laura Fishman, Ruth W. Herndon, Karen A. Ray)--women's voices 
and struggles in colonial settings. For instance, when the contributors 
dwell upon resistance, they mostly discuss how colonized men manipulated 
the images of women as a means to break away from colonial 
subordination. It is nevertheless equally important to explore whether 
and how women return the gaze. Doing such will illuminate colonized 
women's agency and also their strategies to cope with colonial as well 
as nationalist regimes.


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      <td width="80%"><font size="+2"><b>Tamara L. Hunt and Micheline
R. Lessard, eds.</b> <i>Women and the Colonial Gaze</i></font><i>. </i><font
 size="+1">New York: New York University Press, 2002. viii + 258 pp.
Notes, index.
$60.00 (cloth), ISBN 0-8147-3646-7; $20.00 (paper), ISBN 0-8147-3647-5.
      </font>
      <p><font size="+1">Reviewed by <b>Burcak Keskin-Kozat</b>,
Department of Sociology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.<br>
Published by <a href="http://www.h-net.msu.edu/%7Ewomen">
H-Women</a> (March, 2004) </font></p>
      <p><font size="+1"><br>
      </font></p>
      <center><font size="+1"><b>Many Colonialisms, Similar Images:
Women as Objects and Subjects of the Gaze</b></font></center>
      <p> <font size="+1">This collection of fifteen essays intends to
untangle
the complex interrelations between colonialism and gender. The
contributors investigate how women were depicted in colonial policies,
anti-colonial resistances/nationalisms, Western scholarship, and
travel-writing. They successfully illustrate that such representations
were created and manipulated in order to justify as well as to
challenge the prevailing relations of domination and subordination. </font></p>
      <p><font size="+1">There are five overarching themes in the
collection. First, colonized
women were depicted either as morally corrupt, ignorant, promiscuous
individuals who needed the colonizer's guidance, or as noble savages
who embodied desirable virtues such as chastity, modesty, and purity.
Second, colonizers utilized these images both to legitimize their
colonial administration and to control the women in the metropolis.
Third, women from colonizing societies usually approached their
colonized sisters differently than the male colonizers. Fourth, women
in the colonies were "doubly colonized" because of their nationality
and gender (p. 11). Fifth, the images of colonized women served as
invaluable symbols for anti-colonial movements. </font></p>
      <p><font size="+1">These are all warranted assessments; but are
they not made before? How
does the book really contribute to the rapidly growing literature on
women and colonialism? In my opinion, the most distinguishing character
of the collection is the breadth of its geographical and temporal
scope. It is divided into three parts, each of which covers colonialism
in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The first part includes
essays on the Roman Empire, medieval Spain, eighteenth-century Greece,
and nineteenth-century Ireland. The following section dwells upon the
colonial regimes in Brazil, Rhode Island, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, and
Spain. The last part presents cases from India, Vietnam, Korea,
Swaziland, and Ethiopia. The holders of the colonial gaze are men as
well as women from both colonizing societies (such as the Roman Empire,
Britain, or France) and colonized groups (such as Muslims in Spain,
Indian nationalists, or Korean elites under Japanese invasion). The
objects of gaze are usually the colonized women (such as the Native
Americans, or Indian indenture laborers) and sometimes the women in the
metropolis. </font></p>
      <p><font size="+1"> Another significance of the
book is that the contributors go beyond analyzing the typical
confrontations between the colonizer and the colonized. In addition,
they meticulously unpack how colonial relations are articulated in and
through the existing gender, class, ethnic, and sectarian differences.
Their vivid analyses shed a light on the inequalities, struggles, and
co-optations among colonized as well as colonizing groups. </font></p>
      <p><font size="+1">Unfortunately, the collection's weaknesses
outweigh its important
contributions. The essays grew out of a panel at the 1996 Berkshire
Conference on Women's History. The venue of origin clarifies, to a
certain extent, why some of the essays lack the organization that would
be expected from a typical chapter or journal article. Specifically,
each chapter presents abundant and novel data, but most of them fail to
establish broader connections between the existing studies and the
conclusions drawn from the particular case. </font></p>
      <p><font size="+1">Another shortcoming is the lack of an
overarching definition of
colonialism. Although the editors state that "the concept of the
'colonial' [in the book] is taken more broadly than in most anthologies
of colonialism and imperialism," they do not clarify where--and
whether--such extended boundaries end (p. 3). This is not to say that
the contributors do not raise interesting theoretical and
methodological points. Katherine E. Fleming's definition of "simulated
colonialism" (p. 39) and Jiweon Shin's focus on a non-Western form of
colonialism are indeed innovative steps for the literature on
(post-)colonialism. Their insightful approaches do not, however, extend
to the other essays; and this reader wonders whether it would not be
better to omit the term "colonial" from the title. </font></p>
      <p><font size="+1">Finally, the extensive focus on the "gaze"
silences--except in a few
chapters (Laura Fishman, Ruth W. Herndon, Karen A. Ray)--women's voices
and struggles in colonial settings. For instance, when the contributors
dwell upon resistance, they mostly discuss how colonized men
manipulated the images of women as a means to break away from colonial
subordination. It is nevertheless equally important to explore whether
and how women return the gaze. Doing such will illuminate colonized
women's agency and also their strategies to cope with colonial as well
as nationalist regimes. </font></p>
      </td>
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