Intersectional Feminism in Dunedin: From Suffrage to Today - Exhibition and Publication

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This blog is the online component of a two week long exhibition and publication in Dunedin, New Zealand in September 2018 which aims to examine the story of suffrage in Dunedin and track the subsequent history of feminism in this city from 1893 to today.

 We will be considering this history through an intersectional feminist framework, taking into account how issues of class, race, disability and sexuality intersect with feminism and how this has been recognised in Dunedin, or not. The project will identify intersectional feminism as the avant-garde of feminism today and the most progressive descendent of suffrage, as it includes and recognises a diverse array of perspectives and experiences which feminism has previously failed to take into account. It will also honour the work of activist women and men who have paved the way for greater equality in Dunedin, as well as identify where we are today and how far we have to go. 

In our publication, we will consider the suffrage story in Dunedin via an interview with Dr Dorothy Page. We will then go on to track feminist histories in Dunedin through interviews with Rachael Francis of the Otago Pioneer Women's Memorial Association; Jocelyn Harris of the Dunedin Collective for Women (active 1970s-1980s); Cindy Hall of Rape Crisis; Wenda Parata-Muir of Te Whare Pounamu Dunedin Women's Refuge; immigrant and rural women in Dunedin; local Maori wahine and Dr Ambika Kohli of Shakti. 

The artists featured in the exhibition will also examine a range of issues relating to intersectional feminism in Dunedin, for example the unique struggles and issues experienced by differently abled people in Dunedin (Julia Young with Megan Brady of Studio2 and the Margaret Freeman Gallery); the impact of colonisation on the Maori women's body (Marewa Severne); pro-life and pro-choice protests in Dunedin (Emma Chalmers); the reality of life as a female foreign immigrant in Dunedin (Swaroopa Unni); issues faced by rural women in wider Dunedin (Sophie Black); toxic masculinity in University culture (Matthew Wightman); Janet De Wagt who will include a portrait of her friend honouring the various strands of her ethnic descent; experiences relating to body image and sexist and homophobic verbal harrassment (Sarah Baird) and a mana whenua women's experience of feminism and the importance of connecting with her own culture (Simone Montgomery). 

If you are interested in getting in touch with us regarding this project please contact us at kari.petroschmidt@gmail.com and/or lydiemia@hotmail.co.nz. 

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