The preface to Race, Gender, and Leadership boldly declares that "this book takes up the charge put
forth by cutting edge leadership scholars to envision new forms of leadership for the 21st century" (p. ix). A
key point of the book is that in criticizing traditional "masculine" forms of leadership and arguing instead
for an alleged "female advantage" or "feminine leadership" style, feminist scholars have done little more
than perpetuate notions of dualism. Furthermore, the model of feminine leadership portrayed in the popular
media is based on the experiences of a "select few" predominately white middle-class women. As a result,
"The female advantage perspective excludes the experiences of African-American women as well as other
women of color and of different class statuses" (p. xv). Most important, it ignores the multicultural
perspective that is essential to understanding and advancing leadership development in an age of
globalization.