Women fighting for change
It’s the mark of a successful conference that “we have many more questions, perhaps than we had when we came in,” said Lizabeth Cohen, dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, at the conclusion of the institute’s “Women Making Democracy” symposium last week. But one question, she noted, had been answered. Cohen referenced the image on the event’s poster: that of a woman with her hair covered, flashing the peace sign with both hands and smiling broadly. “We were attracted to that image,” said Cohen, “not because we knew who the woman was, but we felt that she conveyed the powers, the fears, the hopes, the potential of women making democracy.” Thanks to an audience member, organizers learned the photo was of Malalai Joya, a member of Afghanistan’s national assembly who was suspended for declaring that the governing body was ruled “largely by criminals and by warlords.” When asked why, amid death threats,...