Debates about women's and sexual rights define almost every public debate today—from reproductive justice to healthcare for queer, trans, and gender nonconforming people, public protest, war and state violence, environmental crisis, economic development, sexual harassment, censorship, and human rights. This course critically engages the possibilities and limits of liberation through the global history of feminist ideas of freedom. It traces the complicated relationship between colonialism, slavery, racism, and feminist liberatory projects in case studies from America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East from the nineteenth century until today. Over the course of the semester, we will explore key questions: How has feminist thought shaped ideas of liberation in our contemporary world? What is the relationship between empire and feminism? And what is the place of decolonization, antiracism, and decarceration in global feminist thought? We will immerse ourselves in rare materials on global, Third World, and women of color feminisms through the close reading of the archives and writings of women and LGBTQ communities from around the world. Over the course of the semester, you will build a toolkit of critical thinking and writing skills by engaging diverse primary sources, ranging from political texts, short stories, posters, movies, to human rights reports. You will come away from the course having a deeper understanding of ideas of protest, justice, and liberation that animate our past, present, and future.
WOMGEN 1200FH