Volume V (2022) (2015)
proposes relates to Braidotti’s take on the structural universal system that holds them in place.
However, second- wave feminist theory limits Braidotti’s project since it lacks the factor of
intersectionality and does not break free from the Eurocentric view; as a result, the third-wave is
introduced. Third- wave feminism, who some scholars reduce as “a rebellion against second-wave mothers,” 13 has three important takeaways: (1) the category of women is concerned with an
intersectional and multi-perspectival version of feminism; (2) it? actively seeks expression of a
variety of viewpoints and prioritizes action over theoretical justification; and (3) it? emphasizes an
inclusive and nonjudgmental approach that refuses to police the boundaries of the feminist political. 14 In other words, third-wave feminism responds to the collapse of the category of women,
the rise of postmodernism, and the divisiveness of the sex wars that second-wave feminist theory
proposed. It is important to understand that third wavers do not entirely reject the agenda of their predecessors but seek to purge the feminist practice of its rigidity. 15
As Rebecca Walker, one of the prominent voices of the third-wave, explains,
For many of us it seems that to be a feminist in the way that we have seen or understood feminism is to conform to an identity and way of living that does not allow for individuality, complexity, or less than perfect personal histories. We fear that the identity will dictate and regulate our lives, instantaneously pitting us against someone, forcing us to choose inflexible and unchanging sides, female against male, black against white, oppressed against oppressor, good against bad. This way of ordering the world is especially difficult for a generation that has grown up transgender, bisexual, interracial, and knowing and loving people who are racist, sexist, and otherwise afflicted. 16
Walker talks about the fear of identity and labels dictating and regulating people’s lives, a fear of
the decreed history perpetuating a system that does not mutate and does not allow individuals to
break free from their fixed roles. It is not surprising to see a theme of fear and danger of fixation in
third- wave feminism since its origin comes from a time where “equality” ha d presumably been
achieved and, in reality, the media portrayed feminists as anti-male hairy-legged lesbians and
shamed women who did not fit the standards of society. The cultural framework of the eighties did
not only lead to the phenomenon of “I am not a feminist, but…” but also forced feminists to be
“good” feminists and created a war of ideologies. As a result, third -wave feminism re-claims these
13 R C laire Snyder, “What is Third - Wave Feminism? A New Directions Essay,” Signs 34 , no. 1(Autumn 2008): 175. 14 Snyder, “What is Third - Wave Feminism?,” 176. 15 Snyder, “What is Third - Wave Feminism?,” 176. 16 Rebecca Walker, 2006, as cited in R. Claire Snyder , “What is Third - Wave Feminism?,” 176.
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