Can crisis be a single story?
Calling something a ‘crisis’ gives you permission to ignore a whole host of other issues, so is the idea of a single story actually a fallacy?
Labelling something a crisis runs the risk of directing attention away from the structural or systemic issues that are the source of the problem you’re trying to address.
This type of single story highlights the dangers of simplifying the complex, of forgetting difference, and of making assumptions based on our own cultural expectations and norms.
Given this, has WuDunn inadvertently embraced the danger of a single story in her simple telling of Half the Sky?
Or, in cases of extreme inequity, is it necessary to create a single story to have any public impact and shift an issue from the back pages of media to the front?
Your task
Based on your understanding or experience of how people respond to crises, join the conversation to provide examples of the benefits or drawbacks of labelling gender inequity a crisis for development.
As part of your discussion, argue for or against creating a ‘crisis’ label (you may also want to refer to the resources listed under see also or refer to your own research).
How do your ideas compare with other learners?
Use reply to respond curiously, compassionately and constructively to the post of at least one other learner.
© Deakin University
See also
'Half the Sky' or Half the Story?
Blog by Liz Warren critiquing the film version of Half the Sky that includes the raising of several challenging questions related to the dangers of simplifying the issue of gender inequity, including those related to representation.
Veiled Colonialism: A Feminist Criticism of the Half the Sky Movement
A student’s critique of the Half the Sky movement with a focus on the problem of colonial discourses.
