ABSTRACT
This chapter explores different models of decisionmaking processes that aspire to be democratic. These explorations show the importance of illuminating the shifting personal or network allegiances lived by women. Although the National Institutes of Health (NIH) does not embrace a communitarian philosophy in its full complexity, NIH research initiatives aimed at women give expression to the central features of communitarian ism. To summarize, the incorporation of communitarian ideals in health research for women cannot ultimately promote social justice for them, despite displaying appreciation for the social contexts in which women live and for the need to involve them in aspects of research planning. Although communitarian models of community may well be integral to women's lives, they often shape women's identities in ways that warrant critique. Moreover, it is crucial to reckon with the relations of privilege within and among communities, and between communities and researchers, which distort determinations of women's needs.
