INTRODUCTION

The strands of conversation in Section II insist that feminist theories must come to grips with the ways in which gender identity/oppression intersects, overlaps, imbricates, or conflicts with other social processes of identity/oppression, especially those of race, class, nation, and sexuality. How can we turn the insights from the complex and diverse experiences of women into effective knowledge? How can feminists construct a reliable basis for analyzing social systems and for articulating strategies for change that will improve women’s lives? The readings in Section III are drawn from two major currents within feminist theory-feminist standpoint theories and poststructural feminist theories-each of which offers answers to these questions.