What's in a name? Reclaiming Third World feminism for epistemic and transnational justice

This article tells the story of Third World feminism and contests the abandonment of the "Third World feminism" label. The main purpose is to address this erasure of "Third World" from the name of the theory as an issue of epistemic injustice. Noting that the main tenets of the theory are now known as "transnational feminism," the article problematizes this change as erasing the Third World origins of the theory and the intellectual contribution of Third World women to the development of feminist theory. Pointing to the epistemic injustice committed in this tacit renaming, it calls for restoring the name "Third World feminism." The article also presents the main premises of Third World feminism, highlights its emphasis on international power differentials, and addresses Third World feminists' qualms with Western feminists. It points out that the intersectionality approach employed in this theory goes beyond acknowledging the compounded discrimination and marginalization experienced by some women and also draws attention to the power differentials among women.