ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the possibilities offered by transnational feminist politics in a context that is defined by globalization, militarism, environmental changes and new forms of communication technology. The changing role of the nation state has resulted in new forms of feminist engagement. It is argued that transnational feminist movements and the epistemology that transnational feminism generates are intersectional in nature because it subscribes to the understanding that no system of power and domination can be understood in isolation from others. Race, caste, gender, class, sexuality, ability, age, country and citizenship are all situated within systems of power that while being specific to their location are also intersecting with other systems of power elsewhere. It is argued that capitalism, patriarchy, racism, militarism and religious fundamentalism in conjunction with the modern nation state create political and economic structural arrangements that work together; resistance to such systems of power therefore has to be situated and yet universal. The women’s movement across South Asia is mindful of these intersecting connections and seeks to work together, while also negotiating with the consequences of donor-driven transnational campaigns and politics that have the potential of distancing the women’s movement from the local concerns of Indian women.
