Letter from Nadine Naber to Dr. Gayatri Spivak


Dear Dr. Gayatri Spivak,

I’ve read your work Can the Subaltern Speak in which you talk about the master narrative construction that locks Indian women into a binary between domestic patriarchy and Western colonialism. I see a lot of the application of your theories to my work in analysing Arab American feminisms, specifically I see Muslim women as being another example of the subject which you call “subaltern,” that is being unable to speak or be heard within mainstream conversations regarding race, gender, or the nation state. In my article I talk about women’s organisations that overdetermine the experiences of Arab American women, constructing them as repressed subjects in need of saving by whiteness and western values. This reminds me of your analysis of British colonial forces, in abolishing the practice of Sati in India and thereby placing themselves in the position of the white savior. I see many parallels to these organisations as well, given the fact that many times western non profit organisations will create offices in Muslim countries and take over the project of liberation for and not with Arab women. Oftentimes the only people “qualified” to lead projects or community initiatives within these organisations are western educated white foreigners. Thus, arab women and other local community leaders are displaced from leading charges for advancements in rights. It also reminded me of Chandra Mohanty’s text about the importance in situating analysis of the “third world woman” in the context of local circumstances, rather than creating an overarching theory of power that applies to all “third world women” everywhere. Definitely I see the importance of analysis the specificities of arab women based on geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic location. Typically, I see western media essentialise the experience of Arab women — ignoring the nuances in different middle eastern countries and instead creating a monolithic view of the Arab woman. This is another example of the way in which I feel Arab / Arab American women are locked in the subaltern status that you talk about. 
Thank you,
Nadine Naber 

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