ABSTRACT
In its most general sense, the word “feminism” refers to political activism by women on behalf of women. The term originated in France in the 1880s. It combines the French word for woman, “femme,” with the suffix meaning political position, “ism,” and was used in that time and place to refer to those who defended the cause of women (Cott 1986b; Moses 1998a). Widely used in the U.S. women’s movements beginning in the 1970s, it indicated opposition to women’s subordinate social positions, spiritual authority, political rights, and/or economic opportunities. However, beyond that general description, the meaning of feminism has never been historically stable or fixed (Delmar 1986; Moses 1998a). For all its ambiguity and limitations, the term nonetheless signals an emancipatory politics on behalf of women. It contends that the prevailing unjust conditions under which women live must be changed. Moreover, it assumes that a group of historical agents-women-will take action to change them.
