Review by Choice Review
Interesting, well written, and beautifully constructed, this book by Roces (history and philosophy, Univ. of New South Wales, Australia) focuses on the leadership and organizational backbone of campaigns to improve the status of Filipinas. According to the author, Filipina feminist endeavors represent a "rethinking of the applicability of Western feminism in local contexts." In its organizational form, Roces argues, feminism was initiated and developed by Catholic nuns who were acquainted with it through their international connections and who developed organizational skills through their work among the poor and in protests against the Marcos regime. However, though their status as religious women helped ground feminism in civil society, it also limited the kinds of campaigns they were able to undertake. Thus, although Filipina feminists were highly successful in their efforts to "unpack and dismantle" traditional constructions of the feminine; to integrate the issues of working women, indigenous women, sex workers, and battered women; and to see some of their agenda enacted by the state, the position of the church on reproductive issues created major divisions within the movement. This key volume for libraries building collections in international gender studies is also likely to spur intense discussion and debate in classrooms. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. N. B. Rosenthal emeritus, SUNY Old Westbury
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
