Postcolonial feminism
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Postcolonial feminism is a form of feminist philosophy which often criticizes Western forms of feminism, notably radical feminism and its universalization of female experience.
Many postcolonial feminists argue that oppressions relating to the colonial experience, particularly racial, class, and ethnic oppressions, have marginalized women in postcolonial societies. They challenge the assumption that gender oppression is the primary force of patriarchy. Also, they argue that oppressions cannot be ranked at all, as to do so would be to misrepresent their lived experiences. While challenging gender oppression within their own culture, postcolonial feminists also fight charges of being Western as some within their cultures would contend.
The field of postcolonial feminism arose from the gendered history of colonialism. Colonial powers often imposed Westernized norms on colonized regions. In the 1940s and 1950s, after the formation of the United Nations, former colonies were monitored for what was deemed "social progress" by Western standards. The advancement of women, among other variables, has been monitored by arguably Western organizations such as the United Nations. As a result, traditional practices and roles taken up by women--seen as distateful by Western standards--can be considered a form of rebellion against colonial oppression. Postcolonial feminists today struggle to fight gender oppression within their own cultural models of society rather than through those imposed by the Western colonizers.
An underlying theoretical premise of postcolonial feminism is that concepts of freedom, equality, and rights stem from the Enlightenment and privilege Western and European norms, rather than representing a universal values system.
Much postcolonial feminist writing overlaps with transnational feminism and Third-world feminism. Postcolonial feminism is also closely related to postcolonialism.
Some postcolonial feminist authors include:
- Gayatri Spivak, with her important "Can the Subaltern Speak?" (1988)
- Trinh T. Minh-ha, with her essay "Infinite Layers/Third World?" (1989)
- Chandra Talpade Mohanty, with her influential essay "Under Western Eyes" (1991)
- Uma Narayan, with her book Dislocating Cultures (1997) and her essay "Contesting Cultures" (1997)
- Kwok Pui-lan, with her book Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology (2005)
