Special Topics in Comparative Literature (488-0-22)
Topic
Silvia Federici: For a Feminist Politics of the Co
Instructors
Alessia Ricciardi
847/491-8259
1860 S. Campus Drive, Crowe Hall #2-133
Meeting Info
Kresge 5531 Comp Lit. Sem. Rm.: Tues 2:00PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
As a scholar and activist, Silvia Federici interprets Marxism from a feminist point of view, shifting the focus of social critique from production to reproduction. She has led struggles against privatization and the enclosure of lands and social relations with a specific focus on the commons. In Nigeria, where she taught for several years in the mid 1980s, she witnessed firsthand the destruction of communal property through the colonial intervention of the World Bank and the IMF. For her, as a result, the feminist project cannot concern itself exclusively with sexual discrimination, neglecting other political questions. This graduate seminar explores Federici's understanding of feminism as a history of struggles embedded in other struggles, in constant dialogue with Marxism, antiracism, and environmental politics. We will assess Federici's criticisms of Marx, Negri, Foucault, Butler, and Haraway while considering her proximity to Vandana Shiva's theory and practice of the commons. Seminar participants are encouraged to find a way to use Federici's work in their own research projects while exploring anew what Veronica Gago calls "feminist potential." Keywords: Commons, enclosure, housework, affective labor, the body, ecofeminism, international feminist solidarity.
Works by Federici, Shiva, Mies, Marx, Foucault, Fraser, Haraway, Butler, Mohanty and Gago.
Evaluation Method
Requirements: Participation, an oral presentation (15-20 minutes), 2 short position papers (2-3 pages each), and a final abstract for a research paper with annotated bibliography (3-4 pages).