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FEMINISMS WITHOUT BORDERS: DECOLONIZING THEORY, PRACTICING SOLIDARITY
by Chandra Talpade Mohanty
(Duke University Press, January 2003)
Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s “Feminisms Without Borders” is an exceptional analysis of various critical issues that exist within contemporary feminism. Of these, she uses three main themes to confront these issues: the decolonization of feminism, an anti-capitalist analysis, and the ultimate goal of solidarity. She discusses the conflict of globalization, reclaiming language, crossing boundaries between “third-world” and “first-world” women, and feminist mobilizing by using key concepts that helps the reader better understand the complexity of these issues. By the end of the book, Mohanty achieves in forming a very comprehensive and very possible solution to these conflicts that arise within feminist theories.
I highly recommend this book. Although the reading is pretty intense, it is an exceptional piece of writing that creates new meanings of mainstream concepts and terms. Her reclaiming of certain language is extremely productive and inspirational; it seems to look forward rather than focusing on the past. Her ability to use the theme of experience (which includes her own experiences) also made the book more insightful and seemed to bring her theories into life. The last chapter was particularly impressive because it gave the reader a solid and productive solution for these serious conflicts that exists among feminist practice. I think her greatest accomplishment is how Mohanty manages to discuss all of these complex issues and create a positive and constructive solution that doesn’t leave the reader with a question that so many theorists tend to do. Crossing borders doesn’t seem as impossible than it was before. That’s a big accomplishment.