Description
This course provides an introduction to gender theory and feminist politics from a UK perspective. It explores gender studies as an academic discipline and examines the contribution of feminist movements to civil society. The course examines the influence of debates about sex and gender, identity politics and nature/culture, as well as the division of labour in public and private spheres and the question of women’s rights and empowerment. Exploring gender as a power relation that shapes us all both personally and politically, the course connects theories to activism, traces social change, and discusses the relationship of gender to multiple axes of identity such as sexuality, race and class. The course encourages a critical engagement with the production of Western feminist knowledge throughout. Considering key interventions from queer theory, postcolonial scholarship and critical race studies as well as the impact of globalisation and neoliberalism, it examines the complexity and contradictions that make up multiple feminisms. 
Preparatory Reading
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Disch, L., and Hawkesworth, M. E., (eds) (2015) The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press  Ìý
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Messerschmidt et al., (eds) (2018) Gender Reckonings: New Social Theory and Research. New York: New York University Press Ìý
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Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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