STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS OF MODERNIST THOUGHT - COLLINS, SMITH, ANDTHE NEW FEMINIST EPISTEMOLOGIES

Recent debates between modernists and postmodernists have shaken the f oundations of modern social science. The epistemological assumptions o f long-established procedures for constructing and validating knowledg e claims have been called into question. This article discusses how tw o major contributors to the ''new feminist epistemologies''-Dorothy Sm ith and Patricia Hill Collins-selectively integrate premises of modern ist and postmodernist thought into their standpoint approaches. Howeve r the particular premises they select result in significant ontologica l and epistemological differences between their works. These differenc es reflect major controversies over materialism versus idealism as wel l as essentialism versus diversity. As such, these different standpoin ts have important implications for feminist scholarship and political practice.