The universal basis for the categorisation 'woman' will, no doubt, be constantly shifting but it is important not to deny it's existence altogether. There is a partly biological basis for this identification. The 'nature' of woman may be conceptualised in the early Greek sense of a force or a power, in its turn shaped by forces outside it, rather than in terms of some set of properties.
Alison AssiterThe subject of feminism cannot be purely a fiction, as some postmodern writers suggest, produced by the discourses of power.
Alison AssiterAutonomy is the capacity to act on principles that are one's own and one will exercise this capacity by means of a process of rational reflection on these principles. Autonomy is thought to be necessary for attributing political responsibility.
Alison AssiterFrom a political perspective, it is important to uphold certain universal principles so that, for example, you can condemn both Islamist forms of violence and injustice as well as forms of violence and injustice from other groups - some superpowers, for example, or the English Defence League, as other examples.
Alison AssiterWhatever the universal perspective one adopts, it is important to recognise that some form of universalism is politically and ethically necessary.
Alison Assiter