Women’s Spirituality and Peacemaking
Traveling with the Turtle: A Small Group Process in Women’s Spirituality and Peacemaking, by Cindy Preston-Pile and Irene Woodward (2006, 287 pages, USD 25—five copies or more USD 21). Reviewed by Shelley Anderson
This training manual could have easily been subtitled a woman-friendly guide to Pace e Bene’s earlier training manual Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living. (see Cross the Lines, number 28). Traveling with Turtle is useful because of its approach that spirituality can be a positive force in peacebuilding. Even more importantly, it fills a gaping hole in current nonviolence practice.
First the practical details: Traveling with the Turtle is a process developed by women for women. The manual consists of 13 two-hour sessions. Each session explores a specific topic (for example, women’s spirituality, claiming power within, responses to violence, preparing for action, or building inclusive communities), and includes an opening ritual; exercises such as role plays, guided meditation or small group activities; journal topics and questions; and readings. All of this could be used in any empowerment training for women or girls.
The manual is user-friendly, with clear directions on session goals, agenda, materials needed, preparation tips and facilitator notes. The comprehensive guidelines for facilitators at the end of the book could be used as a separate resource on its own.
More important than the many new exercises is the fact that the manual places violence against women squarely on the peacebuilding agenda. This approach is still lacking in many nonviolence trainings. Equally important is the fact that the book begins to deal with some specific issues many women have about nonviolence. In many Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) trainings I have facilitated, two critical questions are frequently asked by women: what is a nonviolent way to deal and express anger? And does nonviolence mean a woman has to stay in an abusive family relationship?
The manual also fills a serious gap in terms of providing roles models for women. King and Gandhi are usually the most common role models of nonviolence, which makes some women question if nonviolence is only for men. The manual soundly refutes this with interviews with activists like labor organizer Dolores Huerta and examples of women’s peacebuilding from Colombia, Palestine, Iraq and Israel; and a (too short) historical time line of women’s nonviolent action.
While the manual does try to be as inclusive as possible, there is a very American feel to it. There may be a question as to how well this process can be used outside the West. And is the best way to reach faith-based activists through (as the authors recognize) a hard to define, non-specific, spiritual approach? There are scattered examples of Christian, Buddhist, indigenous, Jewish and Muslim peacemaking, yet on the whole the manual is trying to stimulate an individual spiritual examination by women, outside the framework of any organized religion.
The most interesting question the manual raised for me concerned the degree to which changing one’s self relates to changing social structures. In my experience with working with women, it can be a challenge to understand institutional violence. Rather than analyzing social institutions, I see many women attributing a lack of peace to themselves: as individuals they are not patient enough, or kind enough. How do you move from the legitimate understanding of individual responsibility (and challenge the traditional scape-goating of women for social ills) towards a critical analysis of larger forces or institutions?
The authors are clear they do not see this book as a definitive text on women’s spirituality and peacemaking. They encourage feedback and adaptation. One source of inspiration for co-author Preston-Pile was her participation in the 2004 Women's Peacemakers Program, Asking the Right Questions: consultation on nonviolence training and gender, in Thailand. Traveling with the Turtle is to be commended for continuing to raise questions and for supporting women to explore nonviolence and spirituality.
This training manual could have easily been subtitled a woman-friendly guide to Pace e Bene’s earlier training manual Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living. (see Cross the Lines, number 28). Traveling with Turtle is useful because of its approach that spirituality can be a positive force in peacebuilding. Even more importantly, it fills a gaping hole in current nonviolence practice.
First the practical details: Traveling with the Turtle is a process developed by women for women. The manual consists of 13 two-hour sessions. Each session explores a specific topic (for example, women’s spirituality, claiming power within, responses to violence, preparing for action, or building inclusive communities), and includes an opening ritual; exercises such as role plays, guided meditation or small group activities; journal topics and questions; and readings. All of this could be used in any empowerment training for women or girls.
The manual is user-friendly, with clear directions on session goals, agenda, materials needed, preparation tips and facilitator notes. The comprehensive guidelines for facilitators at the end of the book could be used as a separate resource on its own.
More important than the many new exercises is the fact that the manual places violence against women squarely on the peacebuilding agenda. This approach is still lacking in many nonviolence trainings. Equally important is the fact that the book begins to deal with some specific issues many women have about nonviolence. In many Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) trainings I have facilitated, two critical questions are frequently asked by women: what is a nonviolent way to deal and express anger? And does nonviolence mean a woman has to stay in an abusive family relationship?
The manual also fills a serious gap in terms of providing roles models for women. King and Gandhi are usually the most common role models of nonviolence, which makes some women question if nonviolence is only for men. The manual soundly refutes this with interviews with activists like labor organizer Dolores Huerta and examples of women’s peacebuilding from Colombia, Palestine, Iraq and Israel; and a (too short) historical time line of women’s nonviolent action.
While the manual does try to be as inclusive as possible, there is a very American feel to it. There may be a question as to how well this process can be used outside the West. And is the best way to reach faith-based activists through (as the authors recognize) a hard to define, non-specific, spiritual approach? There are scattered examples of Christian, Buddhist, indigenous, Jewish and Muslim peacemaking, yet on the whole the manual is trying to stimulate an individual spiritual examination by women, outside the framework of any organized religion.
The most interesting question the manual raised for me concerned the degree to which changing one’s self relates to changing social structures. In my experience with working with women, it can be a challenge to understand institutional violence. Rather than analyzing social institutions, I see many women attributing a lack of peace to themselves: as individuals they are not patient enough, or kind enough. How do you move from the legitimate understanding of individual responsibility (and challenge the traditional scape-goating of women for social ills) towards a critical analysis of larger forces or institutions?
The authors are clear they do not see this book as a definitive text on women’s spirituality and peacemaking. They encourage feedback and adaptation. One source of inspiration for co-author Preston-Pile was her participation in the 2004 Women's Peacemakers Program, Asking the Right Questions: consultation on nonviolence training and gender, in Thailand. Traveling with the Turtle is to be commended for continuing to raise questions and for supporting women to explore nonviolence and spirituality.
posted by Pax Christi @ Tuesday, March 27, 2007
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