Urban Perspectives is a series exploring key themes from the United Nations (UN) international days, established to raise awareness and drive action on global challenges. Women's Day is an opportunity to reflect on the evolving conversations around gender, inclusion, and social change. In this interview, we speak with Mariya Nadeem Khan, an Academic Assistant at IHS whose research explores feminist and queer (of colour) methodologies, anti-imperial feminism, and the role of gender and race in urban spaces.
What is Data Feminism?
Data collection is central to urban research. Rooted in historical natural sciences, data points are often seen as objective discoveries. However, as D’Ignazio and Klein’s Data Feminism states, “data is not neutral or objective” but shaped by unequal social relations, which must be acknowledged for ethical analysis.
Feminist researchers highlight that data collection has long been a tool for consolidating knowledge—and power—over communities. Data Feminism emphasizes unpacking power asymmetries, arguing that since neither data nor its collection is neutral, it shouldn’t be assumed as inherently appropriate. While data collection can build resistance communities, it is also a site of oppression, leading feminist data protection groups to advocate for refusal.
This refusal aligns with decolonial feminist critiques of research. For many Native (Tuhiwai Smith, 1999), ghettoized (Kelley, 1997), and Orientalized (Said, 1978) communities, research is a “dirty word.” They ask:
What will be the outcomes and effects of this research in and on our communities? Are we certain that the benefits will outweigh the costs? What questions might we ask ourselves before we allow researcher entry?
Educational and social sciences research often focuses on documenting damage, using empirical evidence to prove oppression. Damage-centered research aims to justify reparations—resources, settlements, affirmative actions—by proving harm. However, decolonial feminist researchers critique this approach as colonial and flawed, reinforcing Western power structures and forcing disenfranchised communities to frame themselves as “defective and powerless.”
The racialised female body in city-making
"I believe the real work of a researcher is rooted in their honesty; however, it is not always easy to pursue ‘the truth’ to fruition", says Mariya. In a world shaped by dominant discourses that influence our biases, research must actively represent the perspectives of its subjects. "When writing about the racialized woman, I believe it is important to place the narrating ‘woman’ at the center stage as it allows the narrator to discuss those issues of life that matter most to her without being directed by questions and biases of the researcher." This approach explores how women—and doubly marginalized racialized women—engage in city-making.
However, using biographic narratives in non-Western contexts has been problematized by scholars like Ruth Behar (1993) and Lila Abu-Lughod (1993), who argue it forces local storytelling into Western rhetoric, homogenizing women’s experiences. As Mohanty (1991) states, the existence of Third World women's narratives alone does not dismantle hegemonic histories; how these narratives are read, understood, and institutionalized is crucial.
To address this, Karin Willemse (2014) draws on the concept of ‘against the grain,’ used by post-colonial and subaltern feminist scholars of color. This approach challenges the victimizing portrayal of women as ‘Other’ and highlights the alternative positions women construct within dominant systems.
Gender and social equity
During European colonialism, Britain developed race and social evolution theories, positioning middle-class Victorian England as the peak of civilization. These theories also justified the biological inferiority of women, helping suppress feminism. Ironically, while Victorian men opposed feminism domestically, they co-opted its language to justify colonialism, giving rise to Colonial Feminism.
After decolonisation, imperial power shifted to the U.S., which used feminism to legitimise military intervention. Following 9/11, the U.S. framed its invasion of Afghanistan as a mission to "free" Afghan women from Taliban rule, a violent intervention whose effects still plague them. Today, Imperial Feminism remains a major tool of colonial violence, seen in Israel’s demonisation of Palestinian men while claiming to "save" Palestinian women and queer people.
Imperial feminism legitimises the oppression of racialised Others—Native American, African American, Black, and Muslim women—framing them as needing rescue. In contrast, Anti-Imperial Feminism challenges this matrix of oppression. Rooted in intersectionality, it recognises that under a heteropatriarchal-colonial-capitalist system, all forms of oppression are interlinked—so too must be the struggle against them. "Therefore, the vantage point of anti-imperial feminism provides us a great place to begin conversations about gender and social equity."
The road to a progressive and inclusive future
Academia forms and informs a significant part of a counter-hegemony against oppressive forces. Many would argue that with repression and silencing on an uptick, we are under grave threats. However, it is often in moments of adversity that we most need and have historically been able to form strong bonds of solidarity. "The onus is upon us in Academia to realise our responsibility vis-à-vis writing with honesty, speaking with care and resisting with courage." Countless times, Feminism in Academia has proven itself to be a versatile vessel to forge collectives— and it is only through collectives (and coming together) that we can push for radical change.
You might also like
- More information
References
D’Ignazio, C., & Klein, L. F. (2020). Data feminism. The MIT Press.
Kelley, R. D. G. (1997). Yo’ Mama’s disfunktional! Fighting the culture wars in urban America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Tuhiwai Smith, L. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples. Dunedin, NZ: Zed Books.
Said, E. W. (1978). Orientalism. New York, NY: Pantheon Books.
Behar, R. (1993). ‘Translated woman. Crossing the border with Esperanza’s story.’ Boston: Beacon Press.
Abu-Lughod, L. (1998). ‘Introduction. Feminist longings and post-colonial conditions.’ In Lila Abu-Lughod (Ed.), Remaking women. Feminism and modernity in the Middle East (pp. 3–33). New Jersey: Princeton University Press (3–33).
Mohanty, C. T. (1991). ‘Cartographies of struggle. Third world women and the politics of feminism.’ In Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Anne Russo, & Lourdes Torres (Eds.), Third World women and the politics of feminism (pp. 1–47). Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
Willemse, K. (2014). “‘Everything I Told You Was True’: The Biographic Narrative As a Method of Critical Feminist Knowledge Production.’ Women's Studies International Forum, 43, pp. 38–49. doi: 10.1016/j.wsif.2014.02.005.
