Feminism and Race in the United States
   This article traces the history of U.S. mainstream feminist thought
   mainstream feminist assumption that ‘woman’ means middle class white
   within mainstream feminist frameworks. Following that is a discussion
   women, and feminist strategies to overcome racism within mainstream
   feminism. Section Five reviews the struggles of Latina and Asian
   how these relate to mainstream feminism. Section Six discusses the
   challenges posed to U.S. mainstream feminism by third world feminists.
   Feminists in the U.S. have worked arduously to address the question of
   house.” The conclusion explores how feminists unite to struggle against
    3. Mainstream Feminism and African American Women in the United States
       Feminism
       Feminism
    6. Third World Feminisms and Mainstream Feminism in the U.S.
   The question of difference has been central to U.S. feminism since the
   feminism: What exactly is a woman?
   French women were losing their femininity and were not as “womanly” as
   white, U.S. mainstream feminist thought in relation to challenges posed
   marginalized women expanded feminist thinking by showing that
   Feminists in the U.S. have set out to identify, expose, and subvert the
   subordinate women.  Central to any theory of feminism, then, is how
   terms like “woman,” “female,” and “feminine” are construed or
   percentage of females who, like them, were almost exclusively white,
   American feminist movement and beyond.
   wave of feminism in the U.S., Betty Friedan exposed the hidden
   frustrations of women who had bought into the “mystique of feminine
   immigrants from this “mystique of femininity.”   It was these women who
   Mainstream feminist thought continues to grapple with the
   called a third wave of feminism in the U.S..  More importantly, the
   of a contemporary, progressive feminist politics.  Thus, to understand
   the current contours of mainstream feminist thought in the U.S. and the
   question of race, one must look at how feminist theory and practice
   mainstream U.S. feminism.
3. Mainstream Feminism and African American Women in the United States
   Feminist theorists have addressed the relationship of race and feminism
   those historically excluded from the mainstream feminist canon, but
   securing white women’s adherence to ideals of chastity and femininity
   The more popular approach to the question of race and feminism,
   Black Feminist Criticism” (1977), Barbara Smith embarks on a journey
   feminists and acknowledged lesbians have been so blinded to the
   them before black feminist literary critics who are able to interpret
   accessible only to black feminist literary critics who simply need turn
   lesbian feminist Combahee River Collective in Boston.
   carving out a uniquely black female voice, or category of experience,
   black feminist thought problematically assumes that “being Black and/or
   female generates certain experiences that automatically determine the
   variants of a Black and/or feminist consciousness” (1991:21). Still,
   knowledge production that give rise to a uniquely “black feminist
   Collins draws on the mainstream feminist strategy of “standpoint
   relations (Hartsock, 1999).  Collins believes that any black feminist
   standpoint feminism, therefore, focuses on concrete lived experiences
   female identity does not sit well with many black women. For example,
   Hazel Carby sees the idea of black feminist criticism, as well as any
   notion of a specifically black feminist consciousness, as a problem and
   color to the established mainstream feminist canon, will not solve the
   problems of “exclusion” from mainstream feminism, but will instead
   in the feminist movement, women must therefore acknowledge that any
   women, many feminists have embarked upon analyses of race and gender
   injustice. Feminists have also worked to develop strategies for
4. White Privilege and the Question of Racism in U.S. Mainstream Feminism
   and racism occurs in feminist organizations, the emphasis, she finds,
   argues, is rooted in the very foundations of feminism, imperialism, and
   Alcoff further shows how white feminists distance themselves from a
5. Chicana/Latina and Asian American Women and U.S. Mainstream Feminism
   feminists’ relation to gender roles and the structure of the family
   feminists are challenging traditional sex roles of men and women, some
   Latina feminists, due to their certain histories of colonization, seek
   feminists who seek to abolish or overcome conventional forms of gender
   white feminists in the U.S..  Ester Ngan-Ling Chow shows how racism,
   women differently toward Asian American men, feminism, and
   Westernization.  Addressing the apparent lack of feminist consciousness
   U.S. feminism as a threat to the Asian American community.  Chow also
   mainstream, white feminist movement. These differences, among others,
   are why Chow states: “The development of feminist consciousness for
   Espiritu writes, racial ideology defines Asian American men as feminine
   Gloria Anzaldua describes the particular ways that a feminist
   heart of Third World Women’s appeal to Western Feminists.
6. Third World Feminisms and Mainstream Feminism in the U.S.
   feminists are fighting to assert their difference in opposition to a
   monolithic and dominant notion of Western feminism that is increasingly
   dominated by the West[.]” (1991:53).  She encourages Western feminist
   notion of the oppressed third world women. Only when feminist thinkers
   confront in participating in a feminist movement.  Because of the
   histories of colonialism and imperialism, suspicions against feminist
   third world feminists regarding the status and treatment of women in
   third world feminists by accusing them of disrespecting their culture
   implication that feminism is foreign to the third world, noting that
   oppression give rise to a feminist consciousness that is organic to
   Minoo Moallem locates a “feminist imperialism” in Western women’s
   Shehabuddin identifies a feminist imperialism in Western women’s
   Western feminists are content to draw on stories of abuse by a few
   feminists is not the actual lives of women in the Muslim world, but the
   feminists repeat and redirect their racism and condescension toward
   The history of U.S. feminist thought has evolved from an essentialist
   diverse and see themselves differently. “The real problem of feminism,”
   overarching assumptions made by “first world” feminists regarding their
   monolithic notion of woman, U.S. feminist theory and practice engages
   mainstream feminism is engaged with recognizing diversity and forming
   feminists embark upon dismantling the master’s house and the multitude
   mainstream feminists recognize the interconnections between gender,
   140).  In sum, feminists in the U.S. have worked arduously to address
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   Categories: Feminist Philosophy, Political Philosophy
          + Feminist Philosophy