SEMINAR PRESENTATION“THE IMPORTANCE OF GENDER EQUALITY FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT”

by Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang University of Toronto, Canada
     8:00 – 11:00, Sat November 15th , 2008
  Hoa Sen University - 8 Nguyen Van Trang St, Dist 1, HCMC

                           

 
Feminist theory has corroborated that the more a culture requires or expects of women in the domestic sphere, the less opportunity they have of achieving equality with men both in the family and in society. Without achieving equality with men, women will not have the opportunity to defend their national interests. Virginia Woolf, the British novelist, for instance, said in the context of World War II: “As a woman, I have no country”.

Lady Triệu was Vietnam’s national hero in the 3rd century. The 19-year-old female warrior known as the Vietnamese “Joan of Arc” managed to successfully resist Chinese invasion for a period of time. Through her famous statement, she rejected her subordinate role in the family in order to pursue her interests in defending her country: “I want to ride a strong wind and tame fierce waves, kill sharks in the Eastern Sea, force back the Chinese armies and throw off the chains of slavery, rather than bending my back to be some man’s concubine!”

Recognizing the importance of gender equality for national development, the Lady Trieu Project was initiated between Hoa Sen University and the University of Toronto, Canada for the purpose of teaching and research on Gender Studies (please visit www.globalgendereducation.org). The project founder, Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang from the University of Toronto, will commence the project with a seminar presentation. She will discuss the link between nationalism and feminism, the political and economic consequences of gender inequality, how the gender and development approach which has been in operation for decades, has not significantly transformed gender relations, and suggests the need to create a “critical mass” as the first step in a self-reliant, locally situated approach to tackling gender inequality.

Speaker’s Biography

Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang received her Bachelor of Commerce, Honours Economics (1995) from Concordia University, Montreal; Master of Arts, Economics (1996); and Doctor of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Studies and Asian Research (2004), both from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She taught Political Science, Women’s Studies, Asia-Pacific Studies and East Asian Studies at the University of Toronto. She was a consultant for the United Nations in Hanoi in 1997 and has worked in the areas of poverty reduction and gender equality in Vietnam since 1996. Her publications include Exploring Indigenous Approaches to Women’s Well-Being in Vietnam: Negotiating Gender, Doctoral Thesis 2003; “Challenges and Choices Facing Women and Children” in Human Development Report: Expanding Choices for the Rural Poor, United Nations, Hanoi 1998; “Poverty Reduction and Gender Equity for Rural Women in Vietnam”, in Hainsworth, G. (ed.), Localized Poverty Reduction in Vietnam, UBC, 1998; and “Female Children’s Well-Being in Contemporary Vietnam”, in Landsdowne, D. and Neilson (eds.), Communities in Southeast Asia: Challenges and Responses. UVic 2002. Originally from Hue, she currently lives in Toronto.

Contact:
Ms. Le Thi Van Anh
Institutional Development & International Relations
Tel: (84.8) 39 255 063 ext 143
Email: ltvanh@hoasen.edu.vn