Postcolonial Feminism

Abstract

Postcolonial feminism emerged as a reaction to the early proponents of postcolonial theory, men who were occupied with nation-building after empire and colonialism had destroyed indigenous people's history. It criticizes colonial powers and the hegemonic power established by indigenous men after the Empire. This chapter lays out the arguments revolving around the British colonial discourse in representing non-Western women, particularly the issue of satihood in India, and sets out the concept of the Third World Women (in India and Africa) by tracing some of the most prominent postcolonial feminist thinkers and by explaining some of their concerns regarding the representation of women in the Western imagination, in which these women always appear as objects. This chapter argues that colonial and dominant Euro-American discourses have long avoided the intersectionality of gender, class, race, caste and religion, and sexuality when portraying non-Western women. It also discusses in brief the development of postcolonial sexualities, examines Islamic and Muslim feminism, and analyzes some new directions in postcolonial feminist theory such as the relationship between postcolonial feminism and intersectional feminist theory, postcolonial feminism and disability studies, and the rise of activism for social justice.