As a group we used many words and exchanged meanings among each other all through the years. It took us a long time to discuss the terms we used, what we meant by those terms and whether we agreed on their meanings as common for the group as a whole. This was and continues to be a long and tiresome process, but one which we see as important for our politics as we find that many terms are being captured and appropriated by dominant systems of power, which we do not cede to. In this glossary we provide some of the history of the processes we went through in defining the terms we used throughout the project period. The ways we understand these terms are not final and absolute, but subject to transformation as we continue growing, transforming and shifting the ways we understand the world and ourselves in it. However, this is where and how we are now, in the present time— this point in time, as the 3 members of Beyond Borders are revisiting, compiling, selectively and subjectively creating the archive of the past.
Border
Beside being one of the terms/words of our project title, we saw border as a phenomenon existing on a number of planes, including physical – spacial, mental, emotional and spiritual. All these planes are interconnected. On the physical – spacial plane the geo-political borders in our region act upon our physical and mental bodies creating borders externally, which we physically cannot cross. By the physical- spacial plane we also meant our bodily borders, something we worked with to discover, recognize and try to relate to in different ways throughout the project. By mental borders we meant the stereotypes that we had often encountered in our own contexts, in our own selves with regards to the “other” – a construction of all the social, political and contextual characteristics outside accepted “norms”. By emotional and spiritual borders we meant the limits we encountered in relating to our environments, others, ourselves. As the project grew we understood that borders are not always necessarily “obstacles” to overcome and go beyond, but rather objects in relation, situations that we can meet, interact and engage with, even if that means sitting by a wall and contemplating the feelings it arises in our mind, body, spirit.
Patriarchal
In describing patriarchy we often used the term patriarchal to mean the ways in which the dominant male-centered and misogynist system acts upon and affects our bodies, minds, spirits. Within the term patriarchal we also saw the macho, sexist and homophobic attitudes, behaviors and practices embedded within our societies under which we have been socialized as women. The patriarchal system was also something we worked to recognize and undo inside ourselves as we navigated relations with one another, trying to be aware of the ways in which we can reproduce patriarchal attitudes, behaviors and structures in our own spaces and relations.
Feminine
Throughout the project duration we had on several occasions disagreements about how we understand gender and the theory as well as practice to which we adhere to and feel most comfortable with. Some of us have the perspective on gender, which can be perceived as essentializing gender characteristics, while others have a more queer perspective, meaning that we see femininity as a construction of gender roles, attributes and behaviors ascribed to women under patriarchy and which we do not ascribe to. Within the scope of our project we can say that by feminine we mean a combination of these different perspectives, including that which is life-affirming as well as that which queers gender as a whole. In other words femininity is attributed to anyone, regardless of biological sex who has an approach, a desire and a way of being in the world that affirms life while undoing concepts of gender we have been taught as the norm.
Conflict
We perceive conflict through a feminist lense, which means that conflict is an important part of relating to our surroundings, others and ourselves.Conflict does not always mean violence, rather it is a clash, which often becomes necessary as a way to resist oppressive institutions, structures, systems and powers that aim to crush us and take away our autonomy. Throughout the project duration we encountered conflicts within the group and got to know better about the internal conflicts we have within ourselves. Our approach to conflict was always to aim to expose it, interact with it, deal with it and transform it, as opposed to avoiding it. This approach was one of the main strengths of our group as it allowed us to move forward with stronger trust and solidarity toward one another.
Trust
We understood trust as something that is always in the process of being built in relation to others, to ourselves, toward our bodies and ourselves. Trust was something we started with and by staying open to one another’s differences, we were able to continually be in processes of developing more trust, by listening to one another, by respecting one another and by being willing to challenge ourselves and learn from each other. Trust was also something we maintained toward the process of working together and as such, we stayed open to the possibilities of whatever would emerge out of our interactions, living together and sharing, as opposed to expecting particular outcomes and results.
Nonviolent
One of our approaches to working together and to relating to our surroundings, to others, to ourselves was through non-violence. We aimed to deal with conflict nonviolently, meaning without intention of harming others or ourselves. At the same time we understood that different emotions such as anger, frustration, disappointment, etc., as well as the expression of those emotions have various forms, which are not always peaceful, calm or quiet. We remained open to all emotions and expressions so as not to suppress as we have been socialized to suppress certain emotions, but rather to allow those emotions and expressions to flow freely. Keeping this in mind, understanding that non-violent modes of relating to ourselves and to others depended on not suppressing ourselves, we aimed to also respond in nonviolent ways to others’ emotions and expressions of those emotions.
Women
One of the discussions that we kept having as a group was regarding the term “woman” and how the category “woman” was often a limiting concept for diverse expressions of gender among members of our group. Not everyone in our group felt comfortable with being identified with the term “woman” and at the same time not everyone perceived the term “woman” as binary, exclusive and limiting. As a group we don’t have an actual agreement on the use of the term “woman” within the group to represent all of us. For the purposes of this digital publication when we say women we mean anyone who has been socialized as a woman, has experienced misogyny and sexism upon being perceived as a woman in society and/or anyone who identifies themselves as a woman.
Solidarity
The concept of solidarity was one which we strived for through the work of our project and the main idea behind this concept was about the willingness to stand by each other’s side and support one another as opposed to competing with one another. Solidarity was an important component of building together as it allowed us to feel safe and trust that our efforts within the group, within the frames of the project and outside in the world at large would be supported and encouraged by others in the group. We also knew that when it came to any issue that the external world would try to enforce on us as individuals within the group or as the group itself, we would defend each other and ensure that no one would feel left alone in dealing with issues in isolation.
ion
Peace
The concept of peace continues to be one we struggle with and cannot say that we have a full agreement on. For most of us peace is about non-violence, calmness, quiet and respecting others’ boundaries and needs. At the same time, given that we have a strong conviction that we cannot remain peaceful in the face of oppressive and violent attitudes, behaviors, structures and systems, we see peace as a collective process of attempting to attain trust, solidarity and justice. Furthermore, we see peacefulness as an attribute that has been ascribed to women more often than men, which has meant that we had to be humble, submissive, quiet and calm in the face of oppressive and violent situations, structures and systems. Peace is therefore something which is also in conflict, a state of being we must strive to attain where our integrity and autonomy are preserved and sustained.
ion
Safe space
The aim of building trust among the group required a sense and feeling of safety for all involved. As such safe space for us meant that we would all strive to make the spaces we occupied, the conversations and approaches to communicating we practiced as open and non-judgmental as possible. We agreed that the idea of a safe space was one that would always be in the process of becoming and that we cannot expect to simply create a safe space and not have any need to continue working to make it safe. Given that we have internalized harmful attitudes of oppressive systems merely by being born and socialized in patriarchal, misogynist, racist, homophobic, ableist, xenophobic societies meant that we are bound to bring those attitudes into the room, albeit unknowingly. As such we worked to continually make spaces safe for us to express and be ourselves in, while leaving room for constructive criticism and self-reflection.
Feminist
Most of us in the group identified ourselves as feminists. There were many differences in our feminist approaches – some of us ascribed to beliefs that were more in line with liberal feminism, others to queer feminism, still others to post-stuctural or radical feminism. Regardless of how we perceived of feminism we aimed to create spaces for communicating our different perceptions and critiques of varying views. Ultimately it became more important for us to perceive of each other’s life experiences and struggles as women or gender non-conforming people as opposed to fighting over ideologies we ascribed to. In this sense the term feminist refers to anyone who feels compelled to identify with and stand in solidarity with women’s and/or gender non-conforming people’s lived experiences and struggles.
Activism
Among our group there were several women who identified themselves as activists, who would struggle against injustices in their contexts through the organizations they worked or volunteered in or groups they belonged to. Yet our definition of activism was much broader and encompassed not only those actions which were visible in the streets or on social media, but also those actions which were not as visible such as daily interactions we had with people in our lives, with institutions and structures and with the work we did on ourselves to resist acts of violence and oppression As such we also perceived the work we did through the project – living together, creating together and sharing our performances with larger audiences as activism.
Sisterhood
We used the term sisterhood often, yet not all of us always had positive associations with this term. For the most part sisterhood for us meant connection and relations with one another built on trust, care and solidarity, so it encompassed some of the principles we ascribed to as a group. At the same time there were some associations about gender roles assumed under the term “sister” and what sisterhood should be, which contributed to feelings of tension for some of us. As such, for the purposes of this digital publication and for sisterhood to be understood outside the realms of normative gender expectations, sisterhood refers to the practice of supporting, caring for and standing in solidarity with those who struggle against injustices together regardless of sex, gender and any other identity marker.
Transformation
The concept of transformation was an important one for us in terms of how to deal with conflict and with injustices in our contexts. We understood transformation to be a process that took time and was continuous. Transformation of situations, conflicts, difficult issues were possible through active listening, respect, mutual trust and patience. Transformation was the process by which injustices, difficulties and conflicts could be overcome and changed into justice, trust and solidarity.
Empowerment
The concept of empowerment is at first glance one that has a positive association of supporting others to rise up and sharing power. Yet the way in which the term has been used by international development agencies in the past few decades to work with women and girls in different contexts has often meant that the stories, issues and agencies of women and girls become exploited and appropriated for the benefit of
Border – beside being one of the terms/words of our project title, we saw border as a phenomenon existing on a number of planes, including physical – spacial, mental, emotional and spiritual. All these planes are interconnected. On the physical – spacial plane the geo-political borders in our region act upon our physical and mental bodies creating borders externally, which we physically cannot cross. By the physical- spacial plane we also meant our bodily borders, something we worked with to discover, recognize and try to relate to in different ways throughout the project. By mental borders we meant the stereotypes that we had often encountered in our own contexts, in our own selves with regards to the “other” – a construction of all the social, political and contextual characteristics outside accepted “norms”. By emotional and spiritual borders we meant the limits we encountered in relating to our environments, others, ourselves. As the project grew we understood that borders are not always necessarily “obstacles” to overcome and go beyond, but rather objects in relation, situations that we can meet, interact and engage with, even if that means sitting by a wall and contemplating the feelings it arises in our mind, body, spirit.
Patriarchal – in describing patriarchy we often used the term patriarchal to mean the ways in which the dominant male-centered and misogynist system acts upon and affects our bodies, minds, spirits. Within the term patriarchal we also saw the macho, sexist and homophobic attitudes, behaviors and practices embedded within our societies under which we have been socialized as women. The patriarchal system was also something we worked to recognize and undo inside ourselves as we navigated relations with one another, trying to be aware of the ways in which we can reproduce patriarchal attitudes, behaviors and structures in our own spaces and relations.
Feminine – throughout the project duration we had on several occasions disagreements about how we understand gender and the theory as well as practice to which we adhere to and feel most comfortable with. Some of us have the perspective on gender, which can be perceived as essentializing gender characteristics, while others have a more queer perspective, meaning that we see femininity as a construction of gender roles, attributes and behaviors ascribed to women under patriarchy and which we do not ascribe to. Within the scope of our project we can say that by feminine we mean a combination of these different perspectives, including that which is life-affirming as well as that which queers gender as a whole. In other words femininity is attributed to anyone, regardless of biological sex who has an approach, a desire and a way of being in the world that affirms life while undoing concepts of gender we have been taught as the norm.
Conflict – we perceive conflict through a feminist lense, which means that conflict is an important part of relating to our surroundings, others and ourselves.Conflict does not always mean violence, rather it is a clash, which often becomes necessary as a way to resist oppressive institutions, structures, systems and powers that aim to crush us and take away our autonomy. Throughout the project duration we encountered conflicts within the group and got to know better about the internal conflicts we have within ourselves. Our approach to conflict was always to aim to expose it, interact with it, deal with it and transform it, as opposed to avoiding it. This approach was one of the main strengths of our group as it allowed us to move forward with stronger trust and solidarity toward one another.
Trust – we understood trust as something that is always in the process of being built in relation to others, to ourselves, toward our bodies and ourselves. Trust was something we started with and by staying open to one another’s differences, we were able to continually be in processes of developing more trust, by listening to one another, by respecting one another and by being willing to challenge ourselves and learn from each other. Trust was also something we maintained toward the process of working together and as such, we stayed open to the possibilities of whatever would emerge out of our interactions, living together and sharing, as opposed to expecting particular outcomes and results.
Nonviolent – one of our approaches to working together and to relating to our surroundings, to others, to ourselves was through non-violence. We aimed to deal with conflict nonviolently, meaning without intention of harming others or ourselves. At the same time we understood that different emotions such as anger, frustration, disappointment, etc., as well as the expression of those emotions have various forms, which are not always peaceful, calm or quiet. We remained open to all emotions and expressions so as not to suppress as we have been socialized to suppress certain emotions, but rather to allow those emotions and expressions to flow freely. Keeping this in mind, understanding that non-violent modes of relating to ourselves and to others depended on not suppressing ourselves, we aimed to also respond in nonviolent ways to others’ emotions and expressions of those emotions.
Women – one of the discussions that we kept having as a group was regarding the term “woman” and how the category “woman” was often a limiting concept for diverse expressions of gender among members of our group. Not everyone in our group felt comfortable with being identified with the term “woman” and at the same time not everyone perceived the term “woman” as binary, exclusive and limiting. As a group we don’t have an actual agreement on the use of the term “woman” within the group to represent all of us. For the purposes of this digital publication when we say women we mean anyone who has been socialized as a woman, has experienced misogyny and sexism upon being perceived as a woman in society and/or anyone who identifies themselves as a woman.
Solidarity – the concept of solidarity was one which we strived for through the work of our project and the main idea behind this concept was about the willingness to stand by each other’s side and support one another as opposed to competing with one another. Solidarity was an important component of building together as it allowed us to feel safe and trust that our efforts within the group, within the frames of the project and outside in the world at large would be supported and encouraged by others in the group. We also knew that when it came to any issue that the external world would try to enforce on us as individuals within the group or as the group itself, we would defend each other and ensure that no one would feel left alone in dealing with issues in isolation.
Peace – the concept of peace continues to be one we struggle with and cannot say that we have a full agreement on. For most of us peace is about non-violence, calmness, quiet and respecting others’ boundaries and needs. At the same time, given that we have a strong conviction that we cannot remain peaceful in the face of oppressive and violent attitudes, behaviors, structures and systems, we see peace as a collective process of attempting to attain trust, solidarity and justice. Furthermore, we see peacefulness as an attribute that has been ascribed to women more often than men, which has meant that we had to be humble, submissive, quiet and calm in the face of oppressive and violent situations, structures and systems. Peace is therefore something which is also in conflict, a state of being we must strive to attain where our integrity and autonomy are preserved and sustained.
Safe space – the aim of building trust among the group required a sense and feeling of safety for all involved. As such safe space for us meant that we would all strive to make the spaces we occupied, the conversations and approaches to communicating we practiced as open and non-judgmental as possible. We agreed that the idea of a safe space was one that would always be in the process of becoming and that we cannot expect to simply create a safe space and not have any need to continue working to make it safe. Given that we have internalized harmful attitudes of oppressive systems merely by being born and socialized in patriarchal, misogynist, racist, homophobic, ableist, xenophobic societies meant that we are bound to bring those attitudes into the room, albeit unknowingly. As such we worked to continually make spaces safe for us to express and be ourselves in, while leaving room for constructive criticism and self-reflection.
Feminist – most of us in the group identified ourselves as feminists. There were many differences in our feminist approaches – some of us ascribed to beliefs that were more in line with liberal feminism, others to queer feminism, still others to post-stuctural or radical feminism. Regardless of how we perceived of feminism we aimed to create spaces for communicating our different perceptions and critiques of varying views. Ultimately it became more important for us to perceive of each other’s life experiences and struggles as women or gender non-conforming people as opposed to fighting over ideologies we ascribed to. In this sense the term feminist refers to anyone who feels compelled to identify with and stand in solidarity with women’s and/or gender non-conforming people’s lived experiences and struggles.
Activism – among our group there were several women who identified themselves as activists, who would struggle against injustices in their contexts through the organizations they worked or volunteered in or groups they belonged to. Yet our definition of activism was much broader and encompassed not only those actions which were visible in the streets or on social media, but also those actions which were not as visible such as daily interactions we had with people in our lives, with institutions and structures and with the work we did on ourselves to resist acts of violence and oppression As such we also perceived the work we did through the project – living together, creating together and sharing our performances with larger audiences as activism.
Sisterhood – we used the term sisterhood often, yet not all of us always had positive associations with this term. For the most part sisterhood for us meant connection and relations with one another built on trust, care and solidarity, so it encompassed some of the principles we ascribed to as a group. At the same time there were some associations about gender roles assumed under the term “sister” and what sisterhood should be, which contributed to feelings of tension for some of us. As such, for the purposes of this digital publication and for sisterhood to be understood outside the realms of normative gender expectations, sisterhood refers to the practice of supporting, caring for and standing in solidarity with those who struggle against injustices together regardless of sex, gender and any other identity marker.
Transformation – the concept of transformation was an important one for us in terms of how to deal with conflict and with injustices in our contexts. We understood transformation to be a process that took time and was continuous. Transformation of situations, conflicts, difficult issues were possible through active listening, respect, mutual trust and patience. Transformation was the process by which injustices, difficulties and conflicts could be overcome and changed into justice, trust and solidarity.
Empowerment – the concept of empowerment is at first glance one that has a positive association of supporting others to rise up and sharing power. Yet the way in which the term has been used by international development agencies in the past few decades to work with women and girls in different contexts has often meant that the stories, issues and agencies of women and girls become exploited and appropriated for the benefit of