ABSTRACT
Science fiction has been a notoriously male-dominated area of popular fiction for so long that the idea of feminist science fiction seems to be almost a contradiction in terms. In many ways feminist science fiction is at odds with the whole history and development of SF as a genre which, by virtually excluding women, has imposed very real limitations on their actual and potential contribution. So it seems to me that the relatively recent phenomenon of a distinctly feminist SF, as opposed to SF written by those writers who also happen to be women, represents an important cultural intervention on the part of feminists, and a significant expression of the impact of feminism on popular fiction. As such, it is a necessary part of the wider process of re-evaluating popular fiction as a whole and, in particular, popular fiction written by and for women.
