This blog is part of the series “Decolonising Feminism(s)”, hosted by the Gender & International Politics program at Polis180.
Why is it that when we talk about feminism(s), it so often appears to be a Western, academic invention? Packaged with liberal values, passed via NGO agendas, sprinkled with empowerment slogans, and sent off to “save” women? Excuse me, but who came up with that story?
A blog post by Melissa Amann and Celina Bester
Dear Europe, dear fellow white women*, we need to talk…
Why is feminism still sold as a Western idea when it has always been a global struggle? Women*, Queers, Indigenous communities and grassroots movements worldwide are fighting their own battles. They don’t need to be saved; they need to be heard.
But our Western “success stories” have been too loud for too long. In amplifying ourselves, we have silenced and victimised others, and in doing so, we have also robbed ourselves of the chance to learn. Learn from the women* and movements to whom we owe so many of the rights we take for granted today. We stand on their shoulders! It is time to acknowledge this; to start listening instead of talking, to reflect instead of assuming, to learn instead of speaking over others. This essay series is our invitation to do exactly that, because, as Audre Lorde highlights, no one is free until everyone is free.
The truth about feminism(s) is…
… “feminism” did not start in the West, and it surely doesn’t end there. In fact, there is no such thing as a single story, theory, or movement. Instead, feminisms have many faces and many stories, from resistance to care, survival, revolution, and beyond. Yet the dominant narratives, shaped by white, middle-class voices and global power-structures, present feminism(s) as a one-way street that flows from the West to “the rest.” This narrative erases voices and demands. It overlooks individual feminist narratives, silences Indigenous and other marginalised struggles and overshadows the ongoing resistance of women* around the world. The scholarly focus, as it manifests in the West, excludes the many actions, protests, and lived experiences that were never meant to be captured by an academic lens or NGO report.
Let’s clarify: the women* often described as voiceless victims do not inherently lack agency, but have been subject to silencing through various forces. These include structural violence, colonial legacies, occupation, and, at times, dominant narratives that may amplify passive roles over active agency.
It might seem easier to just generalise feminism(s) and reduce diverse movements to a single idea, especially over asparagus and hollandaise sauce at a Sunday family dinner: Aren’t they all just fighting for women’s rights and equal pay? But the distinction of terminologies matters. A lot. When we generalise feminist struggles globally, not only do we risk imbalances in reach and power, but we also risk overlooking local conditions, strategies, and histories that shape these diverse demands. A woman*’s strike in Argentina is not the same as one in Germany. Being queer in Rabat poses different risks than in Berlin. Sadly enough, history has shown that not all women*’s movements seek equal women*’s rights, or at least not for all women*. The reasons for resistance are as diverse as the movements themselves. Factors such as land rights, colonial histories, war, religion, and economic exploitation all shape feminist activism and local patriarchal struggles differently.
Unity not uniformity: generalise the struggle, acknowledge diversity!
There are moments when generalising can be important. Many movements are connected by shared questions: Who has access to political participation? What does care mean, versus resistance? Recognising these similarities is crucial, as it allows us to identify systemic structures of oppression and hierarchies that are transnational, transregional, and transcultural. However, we can only draw meaningful generalisations after fully, impartially, and self-reflectively listening to and understanding the various individual movements and events we seek to learn from. Without this critical reflection, efforts to dismantle global power structures will always come at the expense of those excluded from the conversation. They risk remaining exclusive to those who have historically been centred in such analyses, namely, Western, white, middle-class women, who often hold the upper hand and the loudest voice in global discourse. This is why we need to decolonise feminism(s).
Amplifying these stories, so often ignored, is an act of recognition. It acknowledges that these actors are not only victims of oppressive structures, but also political agents in their own right. These women* possess agency: they act, create, and mobilise. The dominance of the mainstream narratives, which frame such movements as mere extensions of Western Feminism, must be challenged. The independent strengths, political practices, and global significance of feminist resistances across societies worldwide must be fully recognised. Just as Audre Lorde reminds us, “we are not free while any woman is unfree” (1981).
… Let`s start listening!
When we start listening, we can finally begin to shift the lens from the prevailing idea of feminism as a Western export to feminisms as a diverse, embodied, and contextual concept. With the following series of essays, we want to create space for voices that have been ignored, flattened, or distorted: the voices of women*, and others who are speaking their truths.
In the coming series, we will amplify voices from various regional feminist*/women*’s movements and contexts. We will explore feminism not as a label, but as a practice; not as an identity, but as a positioning towards power, violence, and justice. These essays seek to challenge the power structures that shape dominant feminist narratives. We aim to distinguish, not divide.
Yes, structural differences exist between the Global South and Global North. But no, this doesn’t mean that ‘Western’ voices are irrelevant or uniform. However, it is crucial that we start listening without taking over, and learning without overshadowing or devaluing. The essays are an invitation to reflect on these imbalances and to turn our attention towards movements that don’t wait to be saved and are shaped not by theory, but by agency and action. From the past to the present, these are the voices to whom we owe the rights and freedoms many of us enjoy today.
The time is now to start listening, reflecting, and learning – join us as we take that step together!
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Notes by the authors:
What do we mean by “the West”?
The term “the West” goes beyond geography. It refers to an ideological formation, shaped by political, economic, and ideological dominance. The term is tied to colonial histories, capitalist dominance, academic hegemony and depoliticised technocracy and supremacy. Therefore, Imperialism and Western power structures are yet determining whose voices are heard and whose feminisms are recognised. This series doesn’t aim to draw rigid binaries, but to shift the focus towards feminist voices and movements that challenge this dominance, both within and beyond the so-called West.
Who are women*?
The title of this series is deliberately kept open and not set in stone, because when we talk about feminisms, what does it actually entail, and for whom? By using the term “women*”, we recognise that feminism has many faces and does not represent a universal understanding in every narrative that this series will look into. While some movements oppose the term feminism, others embrace it, and others are indifferent to it. The movements that will be highlighted are as diverse as the localities in which they take place, and just as little as the word feminism can do justice to these diverse and multipolar stories, so can the title of this essay series. But that is okay, we not only acknowledge, but celebrate these differences, and therefore go with an open-to-interpretation title. With the asterisk (*) at the end of the term “women*”, we recognise that gender is not fixed, not binary, and definitely not universal.
What exactly is Decolonial Feminism?
Decolonial Feminism is a theoretical framework, first coined by María Lugones. It argues for including critical race theory and analysing imperial power structures alongside gender. Decolonial Feminism radically critiques Eurocentric knowledge production (epistemology) shaped by modernity and colonialism, and highlights its impact on social, political, and cultural systems. Western feminism(s) often speak about and for people from the Global South. It treats Western sciences, philosophies, and feminism(s) as ‘universal,’ which (re)produces the silencing of non-Western voices (epistemic violence). Decolonial Feminism challenges Eurocentric, patriarchal, and colonial perspectives and power structures. It emphasises the experiences and voices of marginalised communities, restoring their agency within the dominant Western narratives. For example, feminist struggles of Women of Colour and Indigenous peoples are not seen as equal in Western feminist frameworks. Decolonial Feminism advocates for epistemic justice, deconstruction of colonial power hierarchies, and inclusive intersectional approaches to feminism. It promotes a recentered narrative for knowledge production and social transformation.
Melissa Amann (she/her) joined Polis180 in 2024 and is Co-Lead of the Program “Gender & International Politics” as well as the blog series “Decolonising Feminism(s)”. She studied Public Governance across Borders in Münster, Enschede, and Madrid, and is currently pursuing her master’s in Development Studies at the University of Vienna. Her research interests focus on the intersections of gender, geography, and governance.
Celina Bester (she/her) joined Polis180 in 2021 and is Co-Lead of the blog series “Decolonising Feminism(s)”. She studied Social Sciences and Intercultural Relations in Germany and Morocco, holds an MA in European Studies, and is currently completing a MA in Social Work on migration and refugees in Jordan. Her interests centre on cross-cultural dialogue, feminist perspectives, and the connections between mental health and security..
The Polis Blog serves as a platform at the disposal of ‘Polis180’s & ‘OpenTTN‘s members. Published comments express solely the ‘authors’ opinions and shall not be confounded with the opinions of the editors or of Polis180.
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