Three concerns have motivated scholars to examine what is oftencalled the “dilemma” between sexual equality and cultural autonomy.First, by far the majority of the world's women fail to enjoy the legal , political, social and economic status enjoyed by men and, moreover,one of the main explanations for their relatively deprived state isfound in the cultural traditions and practices that govern their lives . Second, even though sexism is ubiquitous, the existence of genderinequality within minority groups renders vulnerable the claims ofgroups to cultural autonomy, especially claims made by groups that aremarginalized or fragile. And, third, all scholars who tread in this minefield of issues must come to terms with the most vexing methodologicalchallenges in the social sciences and humanities, namely how to avoidthe excesses of, on the one hand, universalism and essentialismand, on the other hand, relativism and social constructivism. Feministtheory provides one of the most interesting and lively venues forthe exploration of these challenges, and the debates seem to reach aparticularly intriguing pitch when the putative conflict between genderand culture is discussed.