Internalized Misogyny in Protest: How I Talk to My Misogynist Self and Find Transnational Solidarities

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Examining the power of protest against sexual, racial and political violence

Proposal

There is a growing political diaspora of Chinese feminists that reflects the transnational nature of feminism, specifically how young Chinese activist-feminists navigate multiple cultural, political, and social contexts in an era of neoliberal globalization and social unrest (Liu at al., 2015). One such example is from 2018 where a Chinese international student Liu Jingyao at the University of Minnesota accused Chinese tech billionaire Liu Qiangdong of rape in a civil lawsuit - exposing the dealings of power and privilege with China's business and political elite (Qin, 2022; Qin & Che, 2022). In response to this rape case, several Chinese feminists rallied outside the Hennepin County Government Center, where the rape trial was conducted, with a banner that read, "SOLIDARITY WITH JINGYAO." This solidarity is transformative because it has exploded a rare public discussion in China about a politically sensitive case of gender-based violence situated in intersectional power relations and transnational politics. It also offers a chance for a situation like this to remain on a permanent public record.

As one of the feminists at the rally, I didn't see my body there until it actually happened. I know that the rape was gender-based violence that exposed the structural and cultural dynamics and global intersections of such violence. However, the case and the discussions around it instinctively brought discomfort to my body, and my first reaction was to avoid them. Showing up to support Jingyao is inevitable because it's the right thing to do, but perhaps also incidental; I wouldn't have traveled for it if I hadn't moved to Minneapolis. As I reconciled the discomfort of complex identities (my experiences as a Chinese woman struggling with internalized misogyny and witnessing various forms of violence in the U.S. as an international student), participating in protests was both a healing and liberating process for the love and power of social movements in solidarity with each other in which transnational students live.

My presentation delves into how transnational protests, such as this one, can contribute to the growing literature on social movements as pedagogical tools within the field of Comparative and International Education. I use autoethnography (Ellis et al., 2011 & Kim 2016) as a method to analyze my experience participating in the #MeToo protests as a woman who has struggled with internalized misogyny throughout my life. By embedding my feelings and thoughts in a larger social context, I explore the intersectionality of gender-based violence and actively deconstruct mainstream narratives about this rape case. I draw on Britzman's (2000) concept of difficult knowledge, which requires emotional labor from learners when working on sensitive issues of power and privilege, to theorize my struggle to confront misogyny in my life through these Movements. By examining the intersecting power relations of gender, class, and race, my presentation sheds light on the pedagogical potential of the #MeToo movement in conjunction with other social movements such as Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ rights, and Indigenous movements, highlighting their transformative possibilities and fostering transnational solidarities.

Author

• Xun Yu, Univ. of Minnesota