TOPICS: TRANSNATIONAL FEMINISM in Spring 2023 (ME2091A)

Transnational feminism is an increasingly important feminist perspective that emphasizes the differences among women and their struggles around the world while simultaneously recognizing the interconnectedness of what may at first glance seem like disparate and independent socio-political phenomena. From the feminization of poverty to the targeted persecution of women in marginalized communities, from the public outcry worldwide against rape culture to the #MeToo movement, the current global climate is one in which women around the world continue to fight inequality, political violence, and social injustice. In some cases, it is laws and institutions themselves that create and perpetuate these injustices. More insidious, but equally far reaching, are the invisible and interconnected cultural and social norms that have historically kept such structures of oppression and exclusion intact even in societies claiming to be egalitarian. While transnational feminism often focuses on women, it recognizes that gender inequities do not occur in a vacuum and are interrelated with social, economic, and political injustice affecting other social identities. This class will explore the above issues by introducing students to the foundational texts of Transnational feminism and through an engagement with critical assessments of some of the central debates within the movement.