National Identity and Feminism

Feminists claim that (Korean) nationalism contributed in retaining discourses on the patriarchal system making national identity essentially unchangeable. Women, whether they want it or not, are involved in the construction of nation states and its construction is a continual, on-going process. Thus, this author argues that when women ignore national issues, feminism and/or the women’s movement may lose its influence within the collective nation because they are promoting only those discourses pertinent to their needs and thus become isolated in their own subculture, as in the case of Western feminists. Although circumstances faced by women vary by nation, region and time, feminism, while embracing these differences in a broader sense, needs to be involved in discussing and practicing discourses on national identity and nationalism. Especially in the formation of national identity the action is very important. The discourse and practices taken by women’s movements or feminists would suggest the chance of forming new identities to the women under the pressure of an existing national identity. In other words, feminists should try to be more open to the type of nationalism that allows more sharing.