Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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The South Korean feminists rejecting the limp ‘brand’ of liberal feminism
Jo Bartosch speaks to NAYOUNG KIM about how South Korean women have lit a fire of feminist activism by rejecting the confining ‘corset’ of sex role stereotypes
Nayoung Kim has rejected traditional ideas about ‘femininity’
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
RADICAL change is coming for women, and it’s rising from the east.
In South Korea a new feminist movement dubbed “Ditch the Corset” is tearing down the restrictions and expectations placed on women and girls.
I spoke with Nayoung Kim, a 29-year-old radical feminist from Seoul. An attorney full of feminist fire, Nayoung told me more about the new generation turning their backs on the suffocating “corset” of femininity: “South Korea has always had feminists engaged in activism against male dominance but very few massive ‘waves.’ The most recent explosion of feminist sentiments and activism started happening around 2014 and has continued to grow.”
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