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Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism
"The essays are provocative and enhance knowledge of Third World women's issues. Highly recommended . . . " ―Choice
" . . . the book challenges assumptions and pushes historic and geographical boundaries that must be altered if women of all colors are to win the struggles thrust upon us by the 'new world order' of the 1990s." ―New Directions for Women
"This surely is a book for anyone trying to comprehend the ways sexism fuels racism in a post-colonial, post-Cold War world that remains dangerous for most women." ―Cynthia H. Enloe
" . . . provocative analyses of the simultaneous oppressions of race, class, gender and sexuality . . . a powerful collection." ―Gloria Anzaldúa
" . . . propels third world feminist perspectives from the periphery to the cutting edge of feminist theory in the 1990s." ―Aihwa Ong
" . . . a carefully presented wealth of much-needed information." ―Audre Lorde
" . . . it is a significant book." ―The Bloomsbury Review
" . . . excellent . . . The nondoctrinaire approach to the Third World and to feminism in general is refreshing and compelling." ―World Literature Today
". . . an excellent collection of essays examining 'Third World' feminism." ―The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory
These essays document the debates, conflicts, and contradictions among those engaged in developing third world feminist theory and politics. Evelyne Accad, M. Jacqui Alexander, Carmen Barroso, Cristina Bruschini, Rey Chow, Juanita Diaz-Cotto, Angela Gilliam, Faye V. Harrison, Cheryl Johnson-Odim, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Ann Russo, Barbara Smith, Nayereh Tohidi, Lourdes Torres, Cheryl L. West, & Nellie Wong.
" . . . the book challenges assumptions and pushes historic and geographical boundaries that must be altered if women of all colors are to win the struggles thrust upon us by the 'new world order' of the 1990s." ―New Directions for Women
"This surely is a book for anyone trying to comprehend the ways sexism fuels racism in a post-colonial, post-Cold War world that remains dangerous for most women." ―Cynthia H. Enloe
" . . . provocative analyses of the simultaneous oppressions of race, class, gender and sexuality . . . a powerful collection." ―Gloria Anzaldúa
" . . . propels third world feminist perspectives from the periphery to the cutting edge of feminist theory in the 1990s." ―Aihwa Ong
" . . . a carefully presented wealth of much-needed information." ―Audre Lorde
" . . . it is a significant book." ―The Bloomsbury Review
" . . . excellent . . . The nondoctrinaire approach to the Third World and to feminism in general is refreshing and compelling." ―World Literature Today
". . . an excellent collection of essays examining 'Third World' feminism." ―The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory
These essays document the debates, conflicts, and contradictions among those engaged in developing third world feminist theory and politics. Evelyne Accad, M. Jacqui Alexander, Carmen Barroso, Cristina Bruschini, Rey Chow, Juanita Diaz-Cotto, Angela Gilliam, Faye V. Harrison, Cheryl Johnson-Odim, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Ann Russo, Barbara Smith, Nayereh Tohidi, Lourdes Torres, Cheryl L. West, & Nellie Wong.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1991
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1643 people want to read
About the author
Chandra Talpade Mohanty
17 books207 followersChandra Talpade Mohanty (born 1955) is a prominent postcolonial and transnational feminist theorist.
She became well-known after the publication of her influential essay, "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses" in 1986. In this essay, Mohanty critiques the political project of Western feminism in its discursive construction of the category of the "Third World woman" as a hegemonic entity. Mohanty states that Western feminisms have tended to gloss over the differences between Southern women, but that the experience of oppression is incredibly diverse, and contingent on geography, history, and culture.
In 2003, Chandra Mohanty released her book, "Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity". In this work, she argues for a bridging of theory and praxis, and the personal and the political. Major themes addressed include the politics of difference, transnational solidarity building, and anticapitalist struggle against globalization.
Mohanty is originally from Mumbai, India. She holds a Ph.D. and Master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a Master's degree and a bachelor's degree from the University of Delhi in India. Originally a professor of women's studies at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, she is currently the women's studies department chair at Syracuse University.
She became well-known after the publication of her influential essay, "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses" in 1986. In this essay, Mohanty critiques the political project of Western feminism in its discursive construction of the category of the "Third World woman" as a hegemonic entity. Mohanty states that Western feminisms have tended to gloss over the differences between Southern women, but that the experience of oppression is incredibly diverse, and contingent on geography, history, and culture.
In 2003, Chandra Mohanty released her book, "Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity". In this work, she argues for a bridging of theory and praxis, and the personal and the political. Major themes addressed include the politics of difference, transnational solidarity building, and anticapitalist struggle against globalization.
Mohanty is originally from Mumbai, India. She holds a Ph.D. and Master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a Master's degree and a bachelor's degree from the University of Delhi in India. Originally a professor of women's studies at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, she is currently the women's studies department chair at Syracuse University.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 11, 2010
1. Okay, first of all . . . I'm glad this book exists. If I had to do a cheesy one-sentence pitch for it, I would say it is like This Bridge Called My Back except without the open veins and with more a significantly more academic tone. (Although, of course, the writers are critical of establishments such as academia.)
2. That said, it is very much a book of its moment - this is most apparent in the references to global political situations that have since, um, changed quite a bit. So, I would really love an updated version of some of these articles.
3. Also, the writers talk a lot about the trap of individualism, and fair enough. Any work that critiques Western society (including mainstream feminism) should seriously consider/critique the harms a too-individualistic zeitgeist can cause. But at the same time, I really feel very strongly that individuals matter more than movements. Have I read too much Forster? Probably. Certainly, my position isn't that "it's all about ME and MY PAIN" is the Way Forward. That's a stupid and harmful position, and wallowing doesn't do much good. Look, I know the necessity of despair - but there's a reason Romanticism (and, for that matter, existentialism) floundered after it could stop rebelling against Neoclassicism. You can't have ONLY Pope and ONLY Shelley, right? You need Auden too. Or something.
4. I really liked the following articles: "The Truth That Never Hurts: Black Lesbians in Fiction in the 1980s," "Building Politics from Personal Lives: Discussions on Sexuality among Poor Women in Brazil," "Women and Crime in the United States," "Gender and Islamic Fundamentalism: Feminist Politics in Iran," and "'We Cannot Live without Our Lives': White Women, Antiracism, and Feminsim."
2. That said, it is very much a book of its moment - this is most apparent in the references to global political situations that have since, um, changed quite a bit. So, I would really love an updated version of some of these articles.
3. Also, the writers talk a lot about the trap of individualism, and fair enough. Any work that critiques Western society (including mainstream feminism) should seriously consider/critique the harms a too-individualistic zeitgeist can cause. But at the same time, I really feel very strongly that individuals matter more than movements. Have I read too much Forster? Probably. Certainly, my position isn't that "it's all about ME and MY PAIN" is the Way Forward. That's a stupid and harmful position, and wallowing doesn't do much good. Look, I know the necessity of despair - but there's a reason Romanticism (and, for that matter, existentialism) floundered after it could stop rebelling against Neoclassicism. You can't have ONLY Pope and ONLY Shelley, right? You need Auden too. Or something.
4. I really liked the following articles: "The Truth That Never Hurts: Black Lesbians in Fiction in the 1980s," "Building Politics from Personal Lives: Discussions on Sexuality among Poor Women in Brazil," "Women and Crime in the United States," "Gender and Islamic Fundamentalism: Feminist Politics in Iran," and "'We Cannot Live without Our Lives': White Women, Antiracism, and Feminsim."
November 6, 2012
A very valuable contribution to the literature, emphasizing that women or women groups are not ahistorical or universal, and they are differentiated by class, ethnicity, geographical locations etc. Although some concepts in this book are arguably not so relevant today, still very eye opening realities are discussed.
May 4, 2016
So so so so good!!! Every single essay is brilliant. This book was published in 1991 and it is amazing to see the progress - and lack thereof - that has been made in my lifetime. You can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been - that's what this book means to me. It gives me a history to root my feminism in. I have so much love and respect and admiration for all the women included in this anthology. Honesty I just learnt so much and I feel really #blessed.
October 13, 2010
first book i read on third world feminism when i was abroad. WOW, so empowering...so on point. my life was never the same after that.
February 23, 2013
One of the best books out there on women's social and political conditions in Africa and southern Asia.
May 30, 2017
I had the pleasure to meet with Dr. Chandra Talpade Mohanty together with selected faculty and students on April 21, 2017 at Villanova University, and what followed was an interesting discussion on the pedagogy of dissent in the neoliberal space of higher education. What was profound in this discussion was how closely the institutionalization of managerial class and the production of knowledge tie together, and how they both connect with imperialism.
When I pointed out my own experience as often being assigned as “representative voice” from the ‘South,’ and how I sometimes find myself going-with-the-lingo in spaces such as the United Nations, and, to some extent, in academic circles, while noting that the ‘lingo’ at times contradicts with the objective, Mohanty (2017) rightfully pointed out that the terminology that is used in those circles in and of itself directs the attention away from the core issues and opts for developmental language instead. She gave the example of how the term “equality” is often used in certain mediums, when it would be more relevant to focus on issues of “justice” instead. Talking about all-encompassing notions of “equality” as such bases itself on the assumption that human rights have been achieved, and that what is left on the to-do list is to simply sharpen things up the edges. But such lingo fails to spot that there if there is defect in a dominant system, having more women representation within that system and keeping the status quo is not going to be so constructive as long as the system itself is put under question.
In this book, Mohanty notes that the task of the intellectual is not to assume superiority and become the representative of “muted” voices, but to examine how the structures of representation are formed, and find ways to fragment the binaries of “difference”
When I pointed out my own experience as often being assigned as “representative voice” from the ‘South,’ and how I sometimes find myself going-with-the-lingo in spaces such as the United Nations, and, to some extent, in academic circles, while noting that the ‘lingo’ at times contradicts with the objective, Mohanty (2017) rightfully pointed out that the terminology that is used in those circles in and of itself directs the attention away from the core issues and opts for developmental language instead. She gave the example of how the term “equality” is often used in certain mediums, when it would be more relevant to focus on issues of “justice” instead. Talking about all-encompassing notions of “equality” as such bases itself on the assumption that human rights have been achieved, and that what is left on the to-do list is to simply sharpen things up the edges. But such lingo fails to spot that there if there is defect in a dominant system, having more women representation within that system and keeping the status quo is not going to be so constructive as long as the system itself is put under question.
In this book, Mohanty notes that the task of the intellectual is not to assume superiority and become the representative of “muted” voices, but to examine how the structures of representation are formed, and find ways to fragment the binaries of “difference”
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December 22, 2021“Sexuality seems to have a revolutionary potential so strong that many political women and men are afraid of it” – Evelyne Accad, Sexuality and Sexual Politics: Conflicts and Contradictions for Contemporary Women in the Middle East
“Although sexuality is important it must be tied to the political and the economic, otherwise, women set themselves up for another kind of domination” Angela Gilliam, Women’s Equality and National Liberation
August 6, 2020
2019 Reading Challenge - A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America
March 3, 2024
Really, really excellent and ever relevant.
June 10, 2008
This collection of essays is difficult, but well worth the time. The ways in which gender functions differently in different global contexts is an important reminder that all of us who care about the struggles of women must also care about the problems of imperialism, militarism, and capitalism.
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May 21, 2015". the book challenges assumptions and pushes historic and geographical boundaries that must be altered if women of all colors are to win the struggles thrust upon us by the 'new world order' of the 1990s." --New Directions for Women
January 17, 2008
a classic!
February 3, 2009
Very clearly rooted in the feminist debates of the early 90s; not quite so relevant anymore.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews