... and ain't I a woman?: Sexism and racism in the Balkans
According to the Sydney Morning Herald's correspondent in Belgrade (April 4), the president of the Serbian writers' club, Ratko Adamovic, believes there is a cultural gulf between Serbs and ethnic Albanians which makes it impossible for them to live in harmony.
Adamovic sees both NATO and ethnic Albanians as invading forces in Kosova, which he believes is the heart of Serbia. “Many [ethnic Albanians] still live in the 11th century. The women to them are just a piece of property, like a pair of shoes. They buy them and they own them and no other man is allowed to see them. They use them for cleaning and for having children. That is all.”
This is not the first time in history that the supposedly backward culture of a people has been used to justify their oppression or campaigns of terror against them by a more “developed” culture. It reveals the racist nature of Serb chauvinism.
Such claims are not very different from those of the colonial powers which claimed they were “civilising” colonies rather than admitting their real purpose was to exploit these countries' natural and human resources.
While it is debatable whether the position of women in Kosova is worse than in Serbia, this cannot be used as the justification for the suffering imposed on Kosovars in the past and in the present.
Adamovic's comments might give one the impression that Serbia has achieved the liberation of its own women, but this is far from the case. While economic development might free some women from some aspects of manual labour, this is not the main basis of the oppression of women. Serbian women face sexism, domestic violence and the fear of rape -- just as women do in the vast majority of the world's societies.
The fact that there are places where the oppression of women is extreme, such as in Afghanistan, does not mean that in countries where women have formal rights to education, health care and employment, these rights are realised.
The oppression of women is a worldwide problem. Some countries such as Cuba, and for a time the former Soviet Union, have made gains in removing the material basis for the oppression of women, but those gains can be taken back if there is not a strong feminist movement to fight to maintain and extend them.
All women need to fight for their liberation, and win allies within other groups of the oppressed. This applies as much to women in Serbia as it does to Kosova and Australia.
Real or perceived sexism should never be used to justify racism. We need to fight for the liberation of all humanity.
By Margaret Allum
