ABSTRACT
As is clear from the previous sections, postmodern feminism has raised some important issues for the field of Gender and Development. Yet, there is still much debate about the potential contributions of this perspective. Postmodern feminism is often criticized for being just another Western invention and imposition, too involved with Western concerns to have much relevance for women in the South. The complex and often inaccessible jargon of postmodern feminist writing seems out of place when considering the problems of women who are barely able to eke out an existence, much less enter academic debates. The emphasis on difference and diversity rather than unity is seen as undermining efforts by (women) activists to organize a broad women’s movement to improve the lives of women in the South. At the same time, the previous sections reveal a need to rethink many of the categories which constitute the foundations of development theory and practice. Postmodern feminist critiques of Enlightenment thinking, their focus on language and power and their emphasis on previously subjugated knowledges have much to offer this process.
