On gender, diversity, and feminism
by Nanette Ashby
In the realm of contemporary art, few figures stand at the intersection of identity, culture, and photography as prominently as Cindy Sherman. Born in New Jersey in 1954, Sherman has carved a niche for herself through her pioneering photographic self-portraits. Her body of work challenges and deconstructs cultural norms and expectations, particularly those surrounding gender, celebrity, and the very medium she employs – photography itself.
by Júlia Vicente
On December 4th, Queer(ing) Radboud 2.0 was held at Theatre C, Elinor Ostrom Building, Radboud University. I attended this event as a writer for Raffia Magazine, but also as a student eager to learn more about queer theory and connect with others who share similar interests.
by Stefan de Baar
The Vrijheidsmuseum, located in Groesbeek, has taken steps to tell the stories of how the war impacted ‘love’ during the Second World War whilst the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany. Through this they shine a light on the lives and history of regular everyday people. We have taken the opportunity to visit their exposition ‘liefde in de oorlog’ or ‘Love in the war’ to see for ourselves.
by Aya Ahlalouch
While celebrating women in academia is important, this approach raises deep concern. The event highlights women’s work without addressing the systemic barriers they face within the institution. Thereby, International Women’s Day is reduced to a token gesture rather than a meaningful commitment to women’s rights and gender equality.
by Sorina Bularca
According to the World Health Organization (2023), one in six people has a disability. Despite the prevalence, disability is structurally erased from public consciousness to this day. Thus, it is no surprise that even in academic spaces disability is frequently forgotten.
by Sophie Wagner
“Have you ever been told that your pain is imaginary?”. With this provocative opening, the author, journalist and activist Tracey Lindeman, begins her debut book Bleed. Destroying Myths and Misogyny in Endometriosis Care published by ECW Press, Canada in March 2023. Being told that one’s pain is imaginary probably signals one of the most reported injustices experienced by endometriosis (endo) patients during health care encounters.
by Veronica Fantini
Focus for one second on what you’re doing—reading, processing information, sitting, standing, or feeling something. What is so special about these thoughts or actions? They are unique because they are yours alone and can never be shared with someone in their entirety. We can describe what we are reading, where we are, or how we feel. However, we will never be able to communicate how we experience things.
by Alejandra Jiménez Máñez
‘Conversations with People I Love’ emerged as an idea, a proposition to use active listening as a method of feminist reflection and analysis. In times in which everything seems to be fast-paced, in which scrolling through 6-second-long videos is enough to keep us entertained and information is one click away, listening has become one of the hardest skills to master. Through this series of columns, my objective is to come to terms with my listening skills as part of my daily feminist practices and activism.
door Merel Tuitert
Extravert, enthousiast, aanwezig, vrolijk, oversekst, gezellig, best veel aandacht nodig.
by Airin Farahmand
If you ask a film enthusiast about the most prominent interwar German movies, you will most likely get a German expressionist movie as an answer. After all, in most scholarly books, German cinema is often remembered by Fritz Lang’s iconic movies such as The Metropolis, Nosferatu, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
by Stela Malega
I write to you, Moldova, to initiate an imperative conversation we must have, collectively and individually, moving forward with the harvest of the presidential elections from 2024. Our grape-shaped country, which has ironically been crushed and pressed throughout history, is at a pivotal crossroads.
door Mylene van der Scheer
In dit tweeluik duik ik diep in de boeiende wereld van polyamorie. Samen gaan we op ontdekkingsreis om te begrijpen wat polyamorie precies inhoudt, hoe polyamoreuze relaties eruit kunnen zien, en welke uitdagingen polyamoreuze individuen in het dagelijks leven tegenkomen. Waar veel artikelen over polyamorie vaak gericht zijn op onderwerpen als seks en jaloezie, wil ik in deze serie juist de schitterende diversiteit en unieke facetten van polyamorie in de ‘spotlight’ zetten.
Raffia 