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Different ways of knowing: Nego-feminism and unition of practicality and theory

nbarker's picture

One of the things that resonated with me most strongly in Nnameka's article is her call for a more truly "globalized" view of feminism. While the word "globalization" carries connotations of imperialism in Feminist Studies discourse, I would argue in this case that it is instead could be reused and repurposed to describe the need for many different, culturally-inspired ways of talking about feminism. I find her call inspiring--ways of talking about feminism that are not western-culture specific, and instead incorporate the multiplicity of cultures available. It is using the identities of writers, of specifics, towards understanding the universal--much like standpoint theory. (See, for example, p. 365-6) An essential problem of western feminism is its inherently colonialist-like ideas that seek to remake the so-called Third World in its own westernized image. What would feminism look like if African feminism was the dominant discourse, rather than western ideas?