Combined and Uneven Feminism: Intersectional and Post-Constructivist Tendencies

Abstract

Our study is meant to be read as an introduction to current networks of ideas and projects within the third-wave feminist theories. The first tendency that we identified is intersectional feminism, animated by the idea that feminism should not only speak to white middle-class women (Hamrouni, Maillé) and posing problems such as: seriality, equity and equality, postcolonialism. It seeks freedom from (intersected) oppressive social forces. The other tendency is an emerging postconstructivist, alternative materialist feminism that focuses on the freedom to act and know authentically as women (Grosz). It aims to render visible the relations between knowledge-production and corporeality (Harding). We would like to further suggest that the concept of combined and uneven development that has already been applied to a world-system analysis of literature (WREC) can also be insightful for understanding the development and co-existence of different feminisms today.

Keywords

• intersectionalism
• materialism
• post-constructivism
• situated epistemology
• combined and uneven development