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Feminist Theory (397-0-20)

Topic

Trans and Non-Binary Feminisms

Instructors

Sarah Bey West

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 111: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Trans and Non-Binary Feminisms: A Deep Dive.
Recent years have seen a resurgence of transantagonism in feminist spaces. Although popular figures like J.K. Rowling and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie have taken stances against trans people, and the increasing popularity of "Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminism" and "Gender Critical Feminism," "trans" and "feminism" are in fact historically co-constitutive. In this course, we will trace that history to answer the questions: should feminism intervene in trans rights? And, should trans and non-binary people be considered the proper subject of feminism? We will explore text, documentary, and film that provide insights into trans feminism's roots in lesbian and gay liberation movements of the 1970s and in woman of color feminisms; we will also consider the early feminist debates of Trans Studies as an emergent academic discipline in the 1990s and 2000s. In the second half of the course, we will expand trans and feminism beyond the US context to consider decolonial trans* feminisms globally, with special emphasis on trans* discourses in Latin America. Students will leave this course with a better understanding of the complexity and importance of trans feminisms as a world-building framework, as well as their legacies and futures; students will also have ample opportunities to explore their own trans feminist praxis.