Chandra Talpade Mohanty
Chandra Talpade Mohanty (born 1955) is a Distinguished Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, Sociology, and the Cultural Foundations of Education at Syracuse University. She also holds the title of Dean's Professor of the Humanities. Mohanty is renowned for her pioneering work in transnational feminist theory, anti-capitalist feminist praxis, anti-racist education, and the politics of knowledge. Since 2013, she has served as the chair of the Women’s Studies Department at Syracuse University.
A central theme of Mohanty’s scholarship is her critique of Western feminism’s treatment of the “Third World woman.” In her influential essay, she challenges the homogenized, victimized stereotype often attributed to women from the Global South, a portrayal that casts them as passive subjects in need of rescue by Western feminists. Mohanty argues that such narratives obscure the vast diversity of experiences among women in the Global South, which are shaped by historical, cultural, and individual contexts. Her critique has played a critical role in redefining power dynamics within global feminist movements, fostering a more inclusive and equitable discourse that acknowledges the voices and experiences of feminists from the Third World.
Introduction of under Feminist Eyes
In her groundbreaking essay "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses" (1984), Chandra Talpade Mohanty critiques the portrayal of Third World women within Western feminist scholarship. Mohanty argues that these portrayals often reduce Third World women to a single, monolithic category—a construct that perpetuates stereotypes and reinforces Western dominance. This reductive lens, she explains, portrays Third World women as passive victims of their societies, lacking autonomy, education, and agency, while juxtaposing them against the supposedly empowered, autonomous Western woman.
Western feminists often define Third World women as individuals subjugated by oppressive traditions, religion, or family structures, assuming they lack control over their lives and choices. This creates a binary in which Western women are seen as free and self-determined, while Third World women are presumed to be uniformly oppressed, ignorant, and in need of rescue. Mohanty challenges this binary as overly simplistic and inherently problematic.
She critiques the framework that equates underdevelopment with deviation from the Western model of development. This conflation implies that the “Third World woman” exists only within the construct of Western feminist discourse, perpetuating a colonial mindset that ignores the diverse realities and historical contexts of women in non-Western societies. Mohanty identifies key analytic principles in these Western feminist narratives that contribute to this othering process:
- Universalization of Women as a Homogeneous Group
Western feminists often assume that women across cultures share identical desires, interests, and needs, ignoring the complexities of social, cultural, and economic differences. - Uncritical Use of Methodologies
The methodologies employed often reinforce the idea of a universal Third World woman, rather than critically examining the diversity of women’s experiences. - Implied Model of Power and Struggle
Western feminist discourse often promotes the notion of an “average Third World woman,” framing her as uneducated, domesticated, and victimized, in contrast to the empowered Western feminist ideal.
Mohanty highlights that this homogenization suppresses the heterogeneity of Third World women’s experiences and perpetuates a form of structural domination. This discourse implies that Third World women require the intervention of Western feminists to be “saved,” thereby continuing a colonial legacy of Western superiority and control.
She argues that these representations have political consequences far beyond feminist circles, shaping global narratives and reinforcing unequal power structures. Mohanty’s analysis is a call for recognizing the diversity of women’s experiences and rejecting the colonization of Third World women through such reductive frameworks. Instead, she advocates for a feminist scholarship that is critically aware, contextual, and committed to the politics of difference and solidarity.
Summary
In her critical essay, "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses" (1984), Chandra Talpade Mohanty scrutinizes the use of the term "colonization" in feminist and leftist scholarship, exploring how it has been adapted to describe a wide range of phenomena, from economic and political hierarchies to cultural discourse about the "Third World." She highlights how feminist scholars of color in the United States use "colonization" to describe the appropriation of their experiences by hegemonic white feminist movements. Mohanty’s work focuses on how Western feminist discourse often constructs a homogenized, monolithic image of the "Third World woman," presenting her as a powerless victim who requires rescue by her Western counterparts.
Western Feminist Discourses and the "Third World Woman"
Mohanty critiques the textual strategies employed in certain Western feminist writings that codify "Third World women" as inherently "non-Western," thus reinforcing binary oppositions between "Western" and "non-Western." This binary defines Third World women as a singular, composite group that is uniformly oppressed, ignorant, and tradition-bound. She argues that this portrayal carries the weight of Western humanist discourse, authorizing a reductive understanding of these women’s lives.
The Concept of "Third World Difference"
Mohanty identifies how Western feminist analyses construct a notion of the "Third World difference," an ahistorical and stable construct that allegedly oppresses women in non-Western societies. By reducing the diverse lives of Third World women to a singular experience of victimhood, these discourses exercise a form of power that Mohanty characterizes as discursive colonization. This process erases the historical, cultural, and socio-economic heterogeneities that define women's lives across classes, religions, and geographies.
Ethnocentric Universalism in Western Feminist Scholarship
Mohanty discusses how Western feminist scholarship often operates within the global hegemony of Western academic and cultural institutions. This hegemony influences the production, publication, and dissemination of knowledge about women in the Third World. She critiques the ethnocentric universalism that underpins these analyses, which presumes that Western feminist ideals—autonomy, liberation, and secularism—are universally applicable. Such assumptions obscure the local contexts and specific power dynamics that shape women's lives in different parts of the world.
Methodologies and Assumptions in Western Feminist Writings
Mohanty outlines three key methodological flaws in Western feminist discourse:
- Homogenization of Women as a Universal Group: Women are treated as a coherent category with identical needs and desires, ignoring intersectional differences of race, class, and culture.
- Uncritical Application of Western Analytical Frameworks: Concepts like patriarchy or sexual oppression are applied uniformly across cultures without regard for their historical and social specificity.
- Binary Models of Power: Women are universally positioned as powerless victims, while men are cast as oppressors, creating a simplistic and reductive framework.
Case Studies of Misrepresentation
Mohanty examines the works of several Western feminist scholars to illustrate how they contribute to the homogenization of Third World women:
- Fran Hosken focuses on female genital mutilation, framing it as a universal manifestation of male sexual control.
- Maria Rosa Cutrufelli discusses African women as victims of colonial processes without addressing the historical and cultural specificities of their oppression.
- Juliette Minces portrays Arab familial systems as static and uniformly patriarchal, erasing variations within these societies.
- Patricia Jeffery attributes the status of women in purdah to Islamic ideology, reducing its complexity to a set of ideas justifying male dominance.
- Beverly Lindsay generalizes the experiences of Vietnamese and Black American women as uniformly shaped by dependency based on race, sex, and class.
Critiquing the Universal Victimhood Narrative
Mohanty emphasizes that framing Third World women as universal victims reinforces binary notions of power. This perspective assumes that all women in the Third World are trapped by their gender, religion, or cultural traditions, while Western women are perceived as liberated and empowered. Such narratives, she argues, perpetuate paternalistic attitudes, as they imply that Third World women need Western feminists to "save" them.
Power and Representation
Western feminist discourse, according to Mohanty, often operates within a framework of binary power relations: those who possess power (men) versus those who do not (women). She critiques this approach as reductive and incapable of addressing the complexities of oppression, which are mediated by intersecting factors such as race, class, and historical context. Mohanty calls for an understanding of power that transcends binary structures and recognizes the fluid and dynamic nature of social hierarchies.
The Role of Global Hegemony in Knowledge Production
Mohanty situates her critique within the broader context of global hegemony, arguing that Western academic institutions dominate the production and dissemination of knowledge about the Third World. This hegemony not only shapes how Third World women are represented but also reinforces the cultural and economic dominance of the West.
Moving Beyond Homogenization
To address these issues, Mohanty advocates for feminist scholarship that:
- Recognizes the diversity and heterogeneity of women’s experiences.
- Engages in localized, contextual analyses of gender and power.
- Rejects ethnocentric frameworks that universalize Western feminist ideals.
Conclusion
In "Under Western Eyes," Mohanty challenges Western feminists to critically examine their own assumptions and methodologies. She calls for a decolonization of feminist discourse that respects the complexities of women’s lives across the globe. By moving beyond homogenized and paternalistic narratives, feminist scholarship can foster genuine solidarity and collaboration, grounded in mutual respect and understanding.