Over the last three to four decades, there has been development of a new discourse associated with gender relations, that being third wave feminism, which has come to rise through the decentering of second wave feminism (Mann & Huffman, 2005). When examining contemporary feminist theory, there is now a collective understanding that women’s lives are constructed by multiple, interrelating systems of oppression, which include gender, race and class (Carastaths, 2014). Although originally published in 1981, the anthology This Bridge Called My Back, and particularly, the essay The Pathology of Racism: A conversation with Third World Wimmin by doris davenport (1983), has much significance and has been highly influential to the recognition of the
…show more content…
Claire Snyder (2008) describes the third-wave feminist movement’s philosophy of its commitment to postmodern antiessentialism, nonjudgemental inclusivity, and a multiperspecitval and intersectional approach to feminism. (Clark Mane, R. L., 2012). In her essay, davenport expresses the importance of recognising difference in women. “If overcoming differences were made a priority, instead of the back-burner issue that it usually is, we might resolve some of our problems” (davenport, d., 1983., p. 89). Today, it is collectively recognised that there are differences amongst women. There are questions about how different women are, and how these differences are constructed based on their race, gender and class. According to Zack (2005), the biggest question for third-wave feminism, is “whether such differences combined erase all commonality among women” (Zack, N., 2005., p. 5). Third-wave feminism also supports the understanding and recognition of cultural differences in women’s gender (Zack, N., 2005), which leads to the concept of ‘multiracial feminism’ or ‘Third-World’ feminism, a movement birthed in the 1970’s and led by women of colour, based in the US (Childers-McKee, D. & Bettez, S. C., 2016), not unlike davenport, who made a call for this in her …show more content…
According to Childers-Mckee and Bettez (2016), multiracial feminism “explicitly links equity for women with the need to understand how race operates as an interlocking power system with gender inequity and other forms of oppression” (Childers-McKee & Bettez., 2016., p. 1) such as class and sexual orientation. They assert that in theories of gender oppression, there is racial stratification, and this idea is central to third-world feminists in the third-wave feminist movement (Childers-McKee & Bettez, 2016). Issues such as racism, colonialism, imperialism and sexism are the focus of third-world feminist discussions in the third wave, and, this disrupts the belief that all women share a common set of experiences, that is, it is disruptive to the concept of gender unity (Childers-McKee & Bettez, 2016). Various discussions in third-wave literature recognise the fluidity of race and gender, and that they are both culturally constructed rather than ‘natural,’ and therefore, based on this shared struggle against race and gender oppression, alliances amongst women of difference should then be able to be shaped and celebrated. According to Childers-McKee and Bettez (2016), Third-World, or ‘multiracial feminism,’ should be seen as having been developed simultaneously to mainstream (white) feminism and therefore is not simply an ‘add-on’ to it, it is important to recognise that it has
Claire Snyder (2008) describes the third-wave feminist movement’s philosophy of its commitment to postmodern antiessentialism, nonjudgemental inclusivity, and a multiperspecitval and intersectional approach to feminism. (Clark Mane, R. L., 2012). In her essay, davenport expresses the importance of recognising difference in women. “If overcoming differences were made a priority, instead of the back-burner issue that it usually is, we might resolve some of our problems” (davenport, d., 1983., p. 89). Today, it is collectively recognised that there are differences amongst women. There are questions about how different women are, and how these differences are constructed based on their race, gender and class. According to Zack (2005), the biggest question for third-wave feminism, is “whether such differences combined erase all commonality among women” (Zack, N., 2005., p. 5). Third-wave feminism also supports the understanding and recognition of cultural differences in women’s gender (Zack, N., 2005), which leads to the concept of ‘multiracial feminism’ or ‘Third-World’ feminism, a movement birthed in the 1970’s and led by women of colour, based in the US (Childers-McKee, D. & Bettez, S. C., 2016), not unlike davenport, who made a call for this in her …show more content…
According to Childers-Mckee and Bettez (2016), multiracial feminism “explicitly links equity for women with the need to understand how race operates as an interlocking power system with gender inequity and other forms of oppression” (Childers-McKee & Bettez., 2016., p. 1) such as class and sexual orientation. They assert that in theories of gender oppression, there is racial stratification, and this idea is central to third-world feminists in the third-wave feminist movement (Childers-McKee & Bettez, 2016). Issues such as racism, colonialism, imperialism and sexism are the focus of third-world feminist discussions in the third wave, and, this disrupts the belief that all women share a common set of experiences, that is, it is disruptive to the concept of gender unity (Childers-McKee & Bettez, 2016). Various discussions in third-wave literature recognise the fluidity of race and gender, and that they are both culturally constructed rather than ‘natural,’ and therefore, based on this shared struggle against race and gender oppression, alliances amongst women of difference should then be able to be shaped and celebrated. According to Childers-McKee and Bettez (2016), Third-World, or ‘multiracial feminism,’ should be seen as having been developed simultaneously to mainstream (white) feminism and therefore is not simply an ‘add-on’ to it, it is important to recognise that it has