Traversing lines of control: Feminist anthropology today

Feminist anthropology has been a forerunner in debates about power differen tials between those observing and those being observed. This article explor es how theoretical interventions made by third-wave feminists have led to r evisions of the canon, particularly in the understandings of methodology (f ieldwork), subject matter (culture), and ethnographic writing. It also high lights some of the problems of placing gender at the center of experience, over differences based on race, class, or sexual orientation. While some fe minists have pointed to the impossibility of an ethical feminist anthropolo gy, others have suggested that interdisciplinary ideas and linkages outside academia can lead to greater participation in public policymaking and soci al struggles that affect the lives of women being studied.