Re-orienting Western Feminisms: Women's Diversity in a Postcolonial World

by Chilla Bulbeck

The agenda of contemporary western feminism focuses on equal participation in work and education, reproductive rights, and sexual freedom. But what does feminism mean to the women of rural India who work someone else's fields, young Thai girls in the sex industry in Bangkok, or Filipino maids working for wealthy women in Hong Kong? In this 1998 book, Chilla Bulbeck presents a bold challenge to the hegemony of white, western feminism in this incisive and wide-ranging exploration of the lived experiences of 'women of colour'. She examines debates on human rights, family relationships, sexuality, and notions of the individual and community to show how their meanings and significance in different parts of the world contest the issues which preoccupy contemporary Anglophone feminists. She then turns the focus back on Anglo culture to illustrate how the theories and politics of western feminism are viewed by non-western women.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction

284 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 1997

Reviews

[Rabya]

excellent book
examining the "feminism" of the west from "eastern" perspective- worth checking out!

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into non western feminisms. Important global perspective, very well written.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for class. It was alright. I did not like the organization of the book or the writing style. I am glad I had a professor to walk me through it all. It makes an important argument against western feminist and the orient but I think other authors have managed to do the same in a more simplistic way.