Nataša Kovačević was born in former Yugoslavia, she graduated in English Department at the University of Belgrade and got her PhD at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Currently, she is a professor of English language and literatures at the Eastern Michigan University and editor of literary journal JNT: Journal of Narrative Theory.
She teaches postcolonial and world literature, and her research topics include postcolonial themes in the literatures of former socialist countries as well as literary and visual narratives about migrants in European Union. She is currently writing a book on Yugoslav literary cooperation and cultural diplomacy in the context of Non-Aligned movement.
1. When we speak of individual contributions, we do not speak only of money – activists that benefit from donations usually say that such a gesture of support means a lot for them – that the community is thinking of them and their needs, and that it supports the struggles they lead. As a person who donates, where do you recognize your contribution? What are the moments in which you are pleased that you support feminist movement?
Reconstruction Women’s Fund supports a wide range of struggles and goals – from studies related to peace and gender issues to underprivileged groups and socially marginalized, and even notorious activist’s movements. However, with all these groups, whether the issues is about struggle against racism, nationalism, housing rights, or the lack of support for terminally ill, the common denominator that contributes to deep subalternity is the gender belonging. RWF, in some ways, sheds lights the places where the State, society as a whole, have failed and sometimes acts in place of them. Even though I abide by structural interventions in such problems, philanthropy can be an efficient and decentralized way to support those who need solidarity urgently, materially and ethically. When, of course, the State does not intervene to solve those problems.
2. Given that you live in America where everyone donates, what are the practices and values about philanthropy that you would like to see blossoming here?
United States is (still) a country with a wide middle class that has enough material resources to support various philanthropic endeavors. I am not sure that large numbers of people in Serbia can donate, but diaspora surely can. As far as I know, there is no systematic and holistic connection with diaspora, not even through the ministry not civic initiatives and organization. My first suggestion would be to start cooperation. Another suggestion concerns not so much financial support but other ways of support and activist that happen on the micro level in the USA, in their local community. I think that it is important to organize discussions, workshops, lectures and actions that address women’s/gender rights outside of academia and cultural institutions; it is crucial to approach people who in everyday life do not have access to such gatherings. In that way, we can widen the circles of society and include them in conversations, where people get the opportunity to think through their attitudes and decisions they make, and break down stereotypes usually produced by the mass media. And finally, there are solidary exchanges of all kinds over social media that do not include money: someone is gifting a piece of furniture in exchange of fixing some home appliance, or offers food in exchange of cleaning an apartment. I take part in one of those platforms in the USA, and in majority of cases is women who offer and take such a support.
3. We have started the program of local feminist philanthropy on the bases of solidarity, always discovering new forms and meanings. What does solidarity mean to you? And what kind of solidarity we need in feminist movement?
I do think that solidarity in our regions (former Yugoslavia) is an absolute priority given that with the decay of socialism, most of women’s human rights focused on decent and equal pay, access to employment, state support to mothers… is also deteriorating. At the same time, discourse of patriarchy, never shaken to the core, is back, and to oppose that way of thinking is getting harder. As we have seen from the silent solidarity of one part of position and opposition with recent public persons accused of sexual misconduct, putting patriarchal privileges in question is a painful spot of this system. Precisely because of that, in addition to concrete support, solidarity is work on changing the whole social narrative about women’s/gender rights.
Interview by: Đurđa Trajković
