A Third World Feminist Defense of Multiculturalism

Abstract

Is multiculturalism bad for women? Susan Okin answers this provocative question with an unqualified yes. Yet Okin is not alone in her rejection of multiculturalism. Many influential Western feminists have expressed concerns that multiculturalism, while strengthening the power of racial ethnic1 minority cultural groups vis-a-vis the majority, worsens the posi tion of the most vulnerable members of such groups, especially women. Some worry that the emphasis on culture goes counter to efforts to alle viate socioeconomic inequality suffered by members of these groups. Others are concerned that multiculturalism is predicated on a highly es sentialized conception of cultural identity. Still others point out that granting multicultural privileges to minority cultural groups will only perpetuate patriarchal cultures that subjugate their women.2

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