Decolonizing Universalism

In this book, Serene Khader masterfully argues for a transnational feminist ethic that retains moral universalism. ... Khader's book will be particularly helpful to Western feminists and a wake-up call to white feminists whose vision of feminism is a vehicle for implicitly imperialist values. By raising explicit questions about the harms of missionary feminism, addressing values as they impact public life, and considering empirical evidence about normative claims made by feminists, Khader has made a meaningful contribution to the field. * American Philosophical Association Newsletter *
The book will serve students seeking an in-depth overview of the key debates in feminism that have endured since the emergence of second-wave feminism. It serves also as a springboard for anyone interested in the key understandings of postcolonialism and how they interweave with feminism and the legacies of the Enlightenment. At a time when many Western scholars continue to overlook the multitude of non-Western thinkers in mainstream academia, Khader's book is timely in encouraging an interrogation of frameworks utilised by people when looking at 'the West' and 'the Rest'. Lastly, because of the clear succinct guidelines and prescriptions Khader provides in her rejection of imperialism, Decolonizing Universalism would function well as a toolkit for NGOs engaging with marginalised women and communities not only in the Global South but in the Global North as well. * London School of Economics Review of Books *
I think this book makes great strides in approaching decolonization within feminist philosophy. I feel as if all readers who are interested in political philosophy, whether in a global context or not, would greatly benefit from reading Khader's book since she provides useful insights into how to be critical of the practical and epistemic habits of Western philosophy. * Shay Welch, Human Studies *
Khader's timely and ambitious book... may serve the valuable purpose of bringing attention to and fostering constructive debates on critical and urgent feminist mandates of anti-imperialism, universal feminism, and transnational feminist solidarity in an unprecedentedly globalized world. * Ranjoo S. Herr, Bentley University, Hypatia *
Khader demonstrates that if Western liberals are to have something to offer the women of the Global South, they must acknowledge a higher burden of justification than is typically supposed. Khader's book also illuminates an important general lesson about injustice, namely that piecemeal attempts to fix some part of an oppressive structure will fail unless attention is paid to the rest of that structure, the explanations for its existence, and which of its parts might need to be preserved even if other cultures find them hard to swallow. As Khader notes, 'the tragedy is that feminist change is typically going to require changes to relationships women are genuinely self-interestedly invested in'. In bringing these complexities to light and showing how they might change our approach, Khader has produced a pioneering work. * Daniel Halliday, Australian Book Review *
The book draws on evidence from transnational women's movements and development practice in addition to arguments from political philosophy and postcolonial and decolonial theory, offering a rich moral vision for twenty-first century feminism. * Allegra Lab *
scholarly and conceptually rigorous, this work of theoretical feminist philosophy shines ... Highly recommended. * P. W. Wakefield, CHOICE *