Postfeminism and the possibilities of postessential politics

This chapter argues that postmodern feminism can support a feminist politics of law reform through theorising a ‘post-essential politics’. It also suggests the assumption that an effective politics requires a unified sense of identity. Feminist legal scholars might be wary of ‘postfeminism’ for many reasons. One reason might be that the term conveys many meanings. ‘Postfeminism’ is associated with the position that feminism is no longer necessary. Feminism has, over time, drawn on a broad range of theories. Postmodern feminism is informed by ‘postmodern’ theories, particularly the critique of the Enlightenment claim that there is a universal truth that is unmediated by culture and values. Derrick Bell develops a theory of interest convergence to explain the failure of the US decision of Brown to live up to its transformative promise. Brown is widely known as the decision that created racial equality in America through dismantling racial segregation in American schools.