ABSTRACT
One critical thematic of feminism that is perennially relevant is the important question of what it means to be a woman under different historical circumstances. Throughout the 1970s and the 1980s, this concern was the subject of major debate as the concept of “global sisterhood” was critiqued for its failure to fully take on board the power relations that divided people. During the 1980s, there was much controversy about the best way to theorize the relationship between the dimensions. The main differences in feminist approaches tended to be understood broadly in terms of socialist, liberal and radical feminisms, with the question of racism forming a point of conflict across all three. In particular, recognition that “race”, social class and sexuality differentiated women's experiences has disrupted notions of a homogeneous category “woman” with its attendant assumptions of universality that served to maintain the status quo in relation to “race”, social class and sexuality, while challenging gendered assumptions.
