ThinkTankWeekly

The Future That Was: A History of Third World Feminism Against Authoritarianism

Foreign Affairs | 2026-08-18 | society

Topics: Indo-Pacific

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English Summary

The book argues that Third World feminist movements of the 1970s and 80s were powerful, transnational forces linking gender equality directly to anti-racism, anti-imperialism, and global justice. These activists sought to 'seize the means of knowledge production' through conferences and publishing networks, successfully building solidarity against authoritarian regimes worldwide. However, the analysis warns that this radical ambition eventually narrowed into limited technocratic agendas (like welfare state expansion), thereby fraying the critical link between feminism and broader systemic demands for global justice.

中文摘要

本書論述指出,1970年代和80年代的第三世界女性主義運動是強大的跨國力量,將性別平等直接連結到反種族主義、反帝國主義與全球正義。這些活動家透過會議和出版網絡,尋求「掌握知識生產的手段」,並成功地在全球範圍內建立了對抗威權政權的團結。然而,本分析警告指出,這種激進的抱負最終逐漸收窄為有限的技術官僚議程(例如福利國家擴張),從而削弱了女性主義與更廣泛全球正義系統性要求之間的關鍵聯繫。

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