This study seeks to identify the relations of modernism and postmodernism in feminism by looking
deeply on the development of its definitions, waves of feminism and framework in its specific schools
of thought; liberal, classical Marxist, socialist and radical feminism. By adapting qualitative descriptive
study, this study covers mainly secondary data from English language sources, be it from books,
academic articles or any literatures pertaining to this topic, which obtained from various databases.
This study argues that modernism and postmodernism is the worldviews that become the essence of
feminism. By looking at the variations of how feminism is studied, e.g. definitions, waves and school
of thought, this study concluded that there are several points indicating the relations that exist between
modernism and postmodernism with feminism. Modernism can be seen in the relational approach of
the liberal, classical Marxist and socialist feminism in the first wave, which are more centered on
education, politics and economic participation. Meanwhile, the relation of postmodernism to feminism
is exampled in the deconstructing approach of the radical feminism that began from the second wave
shown in their individualist views on sex, sexuality, motherhood, childbirth, and language institution.
By identifying modernism and postmodernism as the essence of feminism, it can provide a thorough
understanding on how it relates to the construction and development of feminism itself. Besides that, it
also delineates pathway and limitation especially in providing critiques to feminism. Moreover, it also
helps to provide a new paradigm in looking at the feminism based on its essences that surpasses
traditional dimensions of feminism studies that usually separate feminism discourse into specific
variations.