Although they define themselves as a “wave of feminism of the third millennium,” historical continuity with earlier waves is missing in FEMEN’s mission statement.

“Liberal extremists are as dreadful as religious extremists.” Statements like this have been repeated since a teenage girl, Amina, posted a photo of herself topless a few months ago after joining the (in)famous FEMEN movement, to challenge the threat of religious conservatism.

It sounds like a safe statement for moderates to make (after all, who wants to be accused of sympathizing with a bunch of female women protesting topless?) but I believe there are two points that need to be raised when discussing modes of protest previously unbeknownst to Tunisians.

First, although they define themselves as a “wave of feminism of the third millennium,” historical continuity with earlier waves is missing in FEMEN’s mission statement. The group describes its civil actions as being based on “difficulty and provocativity,” and you can’t help wondering who this provocativity targets – social norms? laws? governments?

The wreath of flowers does not seem to have a clear significance either. For example, is it borrowed from the goddess image of pagan religions? That FEMEN identifies its members as “morally and physically fit soldiers” is also confounding.

So far, the only attention the group received in Tunisia and elsewhere has been about the repercussions that the group’s choice of nudity has on the societies where they stage protests. But there seems to be no worries that nudity fails to be subversive and to show the female body in terms of diversification. I’ve always found it intriguing that that most activists who figure in protests are slim, white, and good posers.

Second, Tunisian moderates are trying to call attention to the necessity of a “local feminism” as an alternative to “alien” forms of women’s activism. I personally find the term “local feminism” disturbing, not because I think feminism cannot thrive in a local context, but because in Tunisia nobody knows for sure what a local feminism can be like, and whether it should stem out of existing waves, or re-create itself from scratch.

We can speak of two main waves of feminism in Tunisia: one early stream consisting of women’s groups that appeared in the early twentieth century to protest colonial occupation (and which was annexed to labor movements) without defining itself as “feminist,” and a second wave, more independent, that appeared toward the late seventies, but which was soon enfeebled by the system and forced to function within a very limited sphere of action.

Whereas we don’t know much about the first wave, the second wave is in dire need to streamline its agenda. To bridge the gap between these two distant waves is a difficult task and requires documentation from feminists and academics alike, while taking into consideration that the appearance of a new wave (with influence from outside) is also possible.

Amina was arrested in May, accused of “conducting provocative acts,” but her arrest looks more as a solution to salve public fury than as enforcement of justice. Most of the educated elite remain undecided about whether to show approval or condemnation. Their inability to critically observe the issue may translate their fear of getting caught in the erratic offshoots of the transitional period, and failure to offer alternative (and more satisfactory) visions on how to cope with youth proclivity to explore untried ways of protest, and harness it in the favor of urgent challenges.

Imen Yacoubi is a Professor of English and an academic researcher teaching English literature at the University of Jendouba. She earned a BA in English language and literature and her “Agrégation” diploma from the Faculty of Letters, Humanities and Arts of La Manouba and the Ecole Normale Superieure de Tunis. From 2005 to 2009, she taught at the University of Gabes, and has been teaching at the University of Jendouba since 2009. She is member of the Young Arab Analyst Network International and co-founder and editor-in-chief of Moorings, a cultural Maghrebi magazine in English. She is an alumnus of the Civic Engagement and Leadership Fellowship, a program accommodated by Syracuse University, NY. Imen is author and contributor for HumanRightsTV.com and MideastYouth.com. Read other articles by Imen.