The Power of Feminist Writing: Creating feminist, gender-sensitive language

Everything starts with the words and language we use. But does our language reflect the experiences of everyone or only those who are currently in power? Words can be a tool for racism and oppression but also for change, inclusiveness, freedom, and decolonisation. Words have the power to stop the categorisation of human beings, to stop reducing them down to their gender, sexuality, race, or any other category, and to enable us to value each individual and each group equally. But in order to achieve that, we must use words and language consciously.

How can language and storytelling help empower individuals and shape new narratives? This panel discussion brings together feminist writers and publishers – people who use language as their most important instrument.

Panelists:

• Minna Salami, Nigerian-Finnish writer, journalist, and critic
• Urvashi Butalia (she/her) – Indian feminist writer, publisher and activist, founder of Zubaan Books

Moderator: Vandita Morarka is the founder and CEO of One Future Collective. Their work here develops feminist leadership capacities for social change while supplementing efforts through knowledge co-creation, re-imagining advocacy, and feminist service provision. They are a human rights lawyer, organizer, and researcher. Currently, they are pursuing an MA in Development Studies at the Institute of Development Studies as a Chevening Scholar.