Let me start by saying how excited I am about this issue of KATE . We sent out a call for submissions on the topic "Diverse Perspectives on Women Across the World," and the response we got from the Otterbein community was beyond what we expected. Of course, that is probably obvious from the rather large size of this issue! Those of you who have had the opportunity to take Women's Studies courses might remember that the evolution of feminism has happened in three major ·waves" or phases. I'll spare you the in-depth recap and history lesson, but suffice it say that the first wave was marked by the women's suffrage movement leading into the early 1920s, the second wave was characterized by the struggle for equality during the 1960s and '?Os, and the third wave is what brings us to this issue's topic. feminism today is a global movement. It seeks to improve the lives of all women across the world. It understands that women, for example, in South .America and Northern Europe have a commonalit"{ of experiences that unites them in sisterhood, but that that simply does not discount the diversity of their experiences and the specific issues they face as women in their particular region, country, city, tribe or town. It is in the spirit of this inclusive third wave of feminism that this issue of KATE was born. A point of caution: I ask you to forgive me, but with a topic as broad as "Diverse Perspectives on Women Across the World" it is not possible to include all women and all perspective~. To be perfectly honest, KATE can only publish what KATE gets in submissions, so this issue is very much representative of where Otterbein students take us and what they have to say. KATE did not sit down and try to • cover the bases" with token inclusions of wome~ in different parts of the world ... not that you feminist minded readers would accuse us of such a practice :) hope tha· this lack of attention to trying to be "politically correct" on a point of diversity does not off end anyone, but I am tempted to think it more disconcerting if that had been our plan.
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