Feeling the "Global"

Ying Zhang

Every minute of the conference was exciting. I am still savoring many details of it. But if there is one thing that I felt most was unforgettable, it is how much the concept of "the global" has challenged us and how much has yet to be challenged.

It was nice to see so many Chinese faces in the audience. It does not happen very often in Women's Studies events. But these Chinese faces glowed in every corner of the room, showing the strength of Chinese feminists. The "global" nature of this project could be felt especially at the lunch, when people went to different rooms to watch some clips from different sites and chat with site coordinators. We saw a variety of participants from everywhere in the China room. And I knew there were "Chinese" who went to other sites to engage in discussion. At some point, I felt that so many boundaries were loosened.

Although we GF participants made up a group that looked very diverse, the visitors invited to the conference were predominantly white. We were trying to publicize this project through them and were happy that we really impressed them. In the end, it felt that we Others still need to be judged. Despite the diverse backgrounds of the U.S. interviewees and site staff, the U.S. audience consisted of a white majority. It was both surprising and not surprising to see only two African American faces in the conference room at the wrap-up session (only open to invited visitors and site people). I could not help but ask: within the U.S. context, does "the global" mean largely an issue that concerns white people?