Biology
What does being female have to do with politics? How is the female body respected, used, abused and manipulated in the political arena? Join us as we explore how, for better or worse, women are tied to their bodies in the political arena.
Explore the power of mothers to change nations. Test your knowledge of wives and daughters in the "family business" of politics. View how women have used their bodies as political tools. Discover the grave political costs of violence against women. Listen to our podcast with Geetanjali Misra on gender justice and read Curator Masum Momaya's introduction to this topic.
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The Curse of Nakedness >>A woman’s body can be a powerful weapon. By threatening to strip naked in public, Nigerian women shamed one of the world’s largest oil companies into listening to their demands for justice. |
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My Child Is Your Child >>Powered by love for their “disappeared” children, victims of the country’s “Dirty War,” Argentina’s Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo waged a relentless--and very public--30-year protest. |
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Fasting for Justice >>Author: Kavita Joshi, India Activist Irom Sharmila has starved herself for eight years in protest of unchecked military violence in Manipur, her home state. In response, the government imprisoned her for attempted suicide. |
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Body as Art >>Kenyan-German artist Ingrid Mwangi uses her body to interrogate social and political conventions. Her internationally acclaimed artworks are always visually striking and often disconcerting. |
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Taking Up Space at Greenham Common >> Holding hands to create a 14-mile chain of protest, thousands of British women mobilized against nuclear weapons in the early 1980s, proving that non-violence can inspire creative action. |
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Cicciolina’s Sexual Politics >> Can sex and politics mix? Yes, said voters emphatically in Rome, Italy, when they elected porn star Cicciolina as their representative in parliament. |
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Family Ties Quiz >> Political wives and daughters live the “family business” 24/7, often earning a leg up to leadership. Test your knowledge of women who rose to power through blood lines. |
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Danger in the Streets >> Sexual harassment is on the rise in Egypt. Women are heckled, groped and even assaulted in the streets. Because sex is still a taboo subject, many women are afraid to speak out and seek help. |