ABSTRACT
If class and revolution are intimately linked to modernity, so is ‘‘the woman
question.’’ Not only has women’s emancipation been a defining feature
of many revolutions, but the women’s movement has been among the
most successful social movements of the modern era, and feminists
around the world continue to associate modernity with women’s equality
and rights.1 Although some revolutions are identified with women’s
emancipation, others certainly are not, and understanding why has been a
key question. The same with nationalism, that other feature of modernity that sometimes has been associated with revolution (as in the cases of
Vietnam and Algeria). If the early part of the twentieth century was char-
acterized by a kind of alliance between nationalists and feminists, the latter
part saw distrust and distance. The rift between nationalist and feminist
movements and goals is historically significant, and similarly requires
explanation.
