ABSTRACT
Community poses a problem for feminism because too many political theories romanticize traditional community forms oriented toward place. Feminist critiques of this “community problem” have exposed the gender, class, and racial implications of various community concepts. As a result of this inquiry, local communities of place-the “family, neighborhood, school, and church web” (Friedman, 1989) prescribed in past and current communitarian theories-are counterposed against communities of choice-friendships and identity groups consistent with diversity and feminist ideals (Friedman, 1989, pp. 286-287; Young, 1990b, p. 172). I argue that this dualistic framework fails to capture the depth or range of women’s community relationships, and it misses the feminist potential of democratic places. One possible escape from the limits of this dichotomy are communities of purpose, where shared situations foster local political action. Donning feminist analytical lenses requires us to keep a critical distance from traditional community notions, because there are real dangers in a blind devotion to placebased social and political forms. However, critiques of community must appreciate how women approach the challenge of creating space for democratic, diverse communities in the places they inhabit.
