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Issues of Our Time on Nafisatou Diallo

Deadline: November 13, 2011

JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies

The case of Nafissatou Diallo has generated visceral reactions and heated discussions worldwide. A poor immigrant hotel worker allegedly raped by one of the most powerful men in the world, the director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn. As the shocking story of race, class, gender, and sexuality unfolded, we witnessed an intense media campaign to discredit Ms. Diallo by dredging up all manner of attacks that exploited racial, class, gender, and sexual stereotypes. To salvage the integrity of the powerful alleged rapist, the credibility of the poor lowly immigrant victim must be destroyed.

The Help has touched a nerve, and JENdA journal has now framed that nerve.

How do we understand the experiences of black women domestic workers who worked in Klan homes during the 1960s? How do we make sense of Aibileen and Minny’s character in 2011? How do we understand Stockett’s notion of “sisterhood”? What does sisterhood mean between two unequal relations that are divided by power and race? How do we understand the complex class relationship between madams and their maids around the world?

Issues of Our Time on The Help is a new section of the award-wining peer-reviewed JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies (ISSN: 1530-5686) devoted to prompt and timely analysis of pressing issues of national or international concerns by scholars, activists, and intellectuals.

Subscription is needed to read Jenda. You can purchase a monthly, semi-annual, or yearly subscription to read Jenda Journal, or you may pay a flat rate to access and read an article. The Table of Contents for the issue is below.