On gender, diversity, and feminism
By Veronica Fantini
Imagine for one second that you are the mother of a son. If you already have one, think of your own. Your lovely boy. You raise him with all the love and affection you could possibly give him. You teach him to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. You love him, and he loves you. But he also loves another woman. Yet you believe she is not the right fit for him.
by Zhenghao Lin
When the Chinese Ministry of Education announced that actions would be taken to cultivate students’ “masculinity” (MOE, 2021), some viewed it as the government’s clear and strong stance in supporting the “end of the effeminizing trend in society” (Xinhua, 2018). The plan, which aims to make students more “masculine” by moderately improving physical education teaching methods and formats, was seen as a response to growing concerns that the new generation of men might not be “masculine” enough to handle future responsibilities.
In this episode Nanette Ashby is joined by Rori Dior, a Berlin-based sex worker, anthropologist, activist, and co-founder of the archive Objects Of Desire. We discuss the ins and outs of creating and maintaining an archive such as Objects of Desire and the importance of institutional collaboration.
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 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 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 Nanette Ashby
Every fourth search request entered into Google is linked to pornographic content and makes up a third of all internet traffic. Every month, Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined receive fewer visitors than pornographic websites (Lust). Evidently, just like sex is fundamental for the human experience, so is pornography a part of everyday life. Regardless of the medium or time period, pornography functions as a transmitter of societal ideas and values.
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 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.
by Shree
To burn the witch is to admit magic exists.
My mother lights the fire to my funeral pyre.
Raffia 