Western Feminism and Rescuing Non-Western Women

Abstract

Western feminism has become one of the most widespread feminist ideologies in our world today and it continues to gain popularity among those in the West who attempt to aid women in foreign nations. This particular feminism is rooted in “saving” non-Western women by attempting to mould their lives so that they may feel “empowered,” much like women in the West. What Western feminism fails to account for, however, is the lack of knowledge towards cultural contexts and the harm caused by Western feminists as they attempt to save these women who they deem oppressed due to their culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze Western feminism from a variety of perspectives and find the flaws that prevent it from actually having a positive impact on women in the Global South. This essay includes references to prominent philosophic literature as well as present and historical examples of Western feminism that prove that the White Ignorance prevents these types of feminists from actually “rescuing” oppressed women. Through analyzing Western feminism from different lenses of White Ignorance, this paper provides an answer for how feminism can have a genuinely positive impact on non-Western women through the abolition of Structural White ignorance found in Western institutions and corporations.