Uma Narayan > Quotes

“Totalizing and dangerous views of “American culture” and “nationhood” can be found in current attempts to portray “Christian values” or particular constructions of “family values” as constitutive of “American culture” and “the American way of life.” Views of “American culture” that picture American society as comprised of “free individuals,” and of American institutions as already fair and egalitarian, obscure the ways in which various forms of institutional discrimination impede the entry and flourishing of members of marginalized groups.”
― Uma Narayan, Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions, and Third World Feminism

“Not surprisingly, the gender of the actors seems to be one factor that determines whether a particular change is regarded as an example of “Westernization that is disrespectful of our traditions.”
― Uma Narayan, Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions, and Third World Feminism

“sound and fury of these “my culture is better than your culture” conflicts between male-dominated colonial governments and male-dominated Third-World nationalist movements often served to obscure the fact that women were clearly second-class citizens in all these cultural contexts.”
― Uma Narayan, Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions, and Third World Feminism