imperialism
I would like to write a bit about the internalization of imperialist and colonialist oppression that Kartini expresses so very often in her letters. I am disturbed by how deeply ingrained are her notions of inferiority/superiority of the Javanese people versus the Dutch... or the brown versus the white as she makes so clear. Kartini has an obvious admiration for Stella Zeehandelaar if for no other reason than because she is a white European-- the foreward of the book even describes Zeehandelaar as "an ordinary young Dutch woman." Kartini constantly expresses her thanks to her penpal for any response she receives, and apologizes for her supposedly terrible Dutch. Her feelings of inferiority are best expressed in her words on kissing: "For us it is a joy to brush a soft pale cheek with our lips, but whether the owner of that cheek also likes the feel of a dirty black face against her is another question" (39). Wow. However, I do admire her defiance of the cultural norms she does not agree with-- her denouncement of arranged marriage, "imprisonment" of women in the private sphere of the home, her arguments for women's education, and against Muslim teachings-- something quite rebellious in the context of the time period and conservative culture/religion.