times of constitutional reform, changes in power between political parties, or revolutionary periods

women's movements have historically advanced their interests by taking advantage of certain political opportunities.

discursive struggle, which involves shaping and controlling political discourse concerning women to influence public policy.

But the blanketcondemnation of Enlightenment thought is in its own way rather odd,when one considers that this was perhaps the first historically knownintellectual movement organized largely by women, outside of officialinstitutions like universities, with the express aim of undermining allexisting structures of authority.