Page 145 - Introducing Cultural Studies

4. In postmodern feminism,
gender and race do not have a
fixed meaning. Each individual
is seen as a composite of
elements from a range of
available modes of subjectivity.
While these elements may be
contradictory in themselves,
they are appropriate in different
contexts. No one is naturally
male or female. Femininity and
masculinity are socially
constructed and are a site of
political struggle about
meaning.

This approach is attacked by liberal, women-centred and Marxist
feminists for destroying the very basis of the feminist movement and
weakening women's unity. The postmodernists respond that their
approach allows space for a variety of voices and new interpretations
of identity.

5. Black and non-Western feminists concentrate on racism and
colonialism, and view these as tools for understanding gender
relations. For black women, race remains an essential form of
oppression.

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