The Difference that Differences Make: Asian Feminism and the Politics of Difference

Abstract

This article reviews feminist reflections on the politics of difference and examines the possibility of Asian feminism and its theoretical ground. I begin this article with a discussion on how a critique of the difference of ‘Asian women’ under western eyes—a difference that reveals the hierarchy of power—requires us to resist the western gaze. Such resistance can encourage one to explore and to theorize Asian feminism and this process of exploring and theorizing involves a critical reflection on the place of Asia in the multiculturalism-and-feminism debate. I suggest that differentiated universalism, which calls for inclusion of differences as well as universal moral commitment, should serve as the ground for Asian feminism.

Keywords:

• Culture
• difference
• differentiated universalism
• Asian feminism
• gender
• multiculturalism