March, 2021
Serene J. Khader is a philosopher whose work spans the sub-disciplines of feminist philosophy, ethics, political philosophy, feminist philosophy and postcolonial theory. Among the books Khader has written is Decolonizing Universalism: A Transnational Feminist Ethic (OUP2018). In it, she maps a path for feminism that avoids both cultural imperialism and cultural relativism.
According to Monique Deveaux (Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Global Social Change, U. Guelph), “Khader's incisive analysis of the dark side of Western values long associated with feminism individualism, secularism, and 'gender role eliminativism' provides an utterly compelling roadmap for decolonizing feminist thinking and practice. Reconceiving feminism as opposition to sexist oppression, Khader shows that a transnational feminist praxis with normative and political bite is possible, but must respectfully engage the diverse values, roles, and arrangements of women around the world. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why the global feminist revolution didn't happen, but might yet.” Monique Deveaux, University of Guelph
Khader is Jay Newman Chair in Philosophy of Culture at Brooklyn College and Professor of Philosophy and Women's and Gender Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.