Difficult Debates Blog – Feminism & Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism in regard to feminism tackles issues within cultures aiming to solve equality issues
within such but also to prevent culture issues that concern the integration of cultures so that a
minority culture is made extinct by the majority culture.
One type of culture that this perspective goes after is the cultures defined as honour cultures. An
honour culture revolves around preserving ones honour and restoring any lost honour within the
community they are situated in. To which is thought that this honour plays an important role in
everyday life which explains to why such extreme measures are taken to reinstate and uphold the
honour.
Feminists have issue with this as a lot of the honour preservation or amending lost honour involves
women in the culture especially in the extreme cases. Honour killings is the main issue of focus as it
involves the killing of members of a family, particularly women and gay men, to amend wrongs they
have done such as adultery or promiscuity and in some cases being victims of forms of assault. There
is almost a movement within the feminist view that deems the views of straight white women are
exempt in the argument as they aren't going to experience the issues had by black/other ethnic
groups and gay women. Some on this side hold a further extreme view that anyone who isn't a part
of a minority group shouldn't be holding a conversation on the topic, which is a counter intuitive
argument as preventing the majority group to discuss minority issues won't help solve the issue as
only a small number will be talking about such.
The feminist argument can be a hypocritical argument in regard to changing the cultures of other
places. One can argue that the feminist view goes against what it is trying to do as it is trying to
change other cultures they deem to be 'backwards' with a wrong way of living, which is what their