Challenging Imperial Feminism
Critically assesses several theoretical concepts in the white feminist literature & discusses their relevance for black feminist theory in the UK. Such notions as the family & sexuality, which have become common parlance in the white feminist movement, also contribute to the movement's oppression of black women. Either black women are treated as insignificant by theories that employ these concepts, or they are idealized in a kind of anthropological cultural essentialism. The failure of white feminists to recognize their difference from black women has contributed to the nearly exclusive Eurocentric focus of most theorizing on women's oppression. It is argued that a better feminist theorizing will include a deep understanding of the workings of both imperialism & racism in patriarchy. Moreover, it will involve a synthesis of notions of class, race, gender, & sexuality. The development of this kind of feminist theorizing necessarily entails a greater role for black feminists in the wider feminist conversation. 3 References. D. Ryfe