ABSTRACT
In the last few decades postmodernist critiques have increasingly dominated scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Grand theories of the past have been called into question; particularities and difference(s) have triumphed as universal claims to knowledge have come under fire. Feminist scholars have reacted to postmodernist thought in a number of ways. Some reject it outright, while others call for a synthesis of feminist and postmodernist approaches. This is particularly true of scholars concerned with the marginalization of Third World women and women of color in the North.1 However, many scholars and activists concerned with development issues in the South, especially poverty and economic development, dismiss this approach as a “First World” preoccupation, if not indulgence, with little practical application for Third World women’s development problems. Again other scholars have challenged this view, arguing for the relevance of postmodern feminist thought to development issues.
