'To preserve my identity': Identity formation within the BMR women's movement

This chapter discusses the politics of identity formation and terms of self-designation that BMR women in the Netherlands have used since they began organising themselves. The authors explore various BMR self-designations over several decades, which includes a discussion of different engagements with the term 'Black'. They also trace and discuss generational differences and dynamics when it comes to the politics of identification. Moreover, the chapter addresses sexual identifications and categories ('Is lesbian a Western category?'), as well as questions of gender, as they played out in the Dutch context and contributed both to personal empowerment as well as political emancipation of the BMR movement at large.