Feminist theories and practices
Prerequisiti
Optional for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students of the PhD Programme in "Political Science and Sociology"
Optional for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students of the PhD Programme in "Transnational Governance"
Optional for the 4th and 5th year students of the MA Programme in "Political and Social Sciences"
Programma
Feminist theory, thought divided in different approaches, focuses on understanding and challenging the social inequalities and injustices that arise from the gender divisions and differences embedded in the patriarchal structure of societies. As it aims to analyse social structures, structural conflicts, social behaviours but also forms of oppression and discrimination directly stemming from State institutions and even geopolitical arrangements, feminist theory can be regarded as a brunch of political sociology with large influence also on political science. Some of the key areas of interest include discrimination on the basis of sex and gender, objectification, economic inequality, power, gender roles, and stereotypes. While feminist theory is intertwined with critical philosophy, it also implies a distinctive epistemology for studying the social world, looking at both structures of oppression and dynamic processes of liberation. Despite many significant differences, feminist theory is an intellectual enterprise, as well as an analytical and political effort rooted in social movements advancing equality, freedom, and justice. Therefore, feminist theory can only be understood in reference to the actual practices of the feminist movements that have appeared over time, which have inspired and in turn have been inspired by those theories.
Feminist theory has emerged from these feminist movements and has manifested in a variety of academic disciplines, such as feminist geography, feminist history and feminist literary criticism. As a combination of theories and practices, feminism has altered predominant perspectives in a wide range of areas within Western society and beyond, ranging from culture to law. Rather than focusing on feminist theory only, the Course will investigate the connections between different theoretical approaches and social movements’ practices: How are different feminist theories reflected in different feminist movements? What type of organising have they inspired (and vice versa)? What type of actions? How can we start to account for the differential ways that agency has been taken up in relation to feminist theories and activist projects? How have feminist theories intersected with other theoretical approaches? What methodologies have feminist scholars proposed to investigate women’s activism? How can we use them? What ethical issue do they imply?
Format
The Course will have a seminar structure, with weekly discussions on selected readings dealing with different feminist theories and empirical research on feminist practices and repertoires of action. Every session will be introduced by the lecturer (or by a guest lecturer), followed by an open discussion of the readings. Attendees are required to read the material, present the readings in a critical perspective, and actively participate in the collective discussion. References to the attendees’ own research projects are encouraged.
Evaluation
PhD students will be evaluated based on their active participation in class, and the instructor will determine whether they have passed or failed the Course. PhD students who opt to write a term paper for this Course should consult the instructor in advance and agree on a topic.
Master students will be evaluated based on their active participation in class (50%) and on a final paper of 2000-3000 words on one of the topics covered during the Course (50%). The instructor is available for consultation on the topic of the paper and for advice on its structure and content. The final grade will be expressed on a 30-point scale. The paper can be written in English or Italian and must be delivered by the end of March 2024.
Classes
1. The concept of feminist “waves” and its critics
Wednesday 10 January 2024; h 15-17
The history of the feminist movements has often been divided in three “waves”. The course will adopt a diachronic approach to trace the birth and evolution of the feminist movements, their theories and practices. However, the concept of waves has also received criticism, as it may suggest the idea of uniform and monolithic feminist movements, ignoring complexities, linkages between theories and practices, and also the presence of often simultaneous movements within and across race, ethnicity, class. Just to give an example the slogan “The Personal is Political” is the watch word of Second Wave feminist projects and continues to inform our ideas about feminist activist practice and the relationship between feminist theory and practice also today.
2. The beginnings: Liberal feminism and its struggles for formal rights; Marxist/Socialist feminism and the struggles for labour rights
Friday 19 January 2024; h 10-13
Liberal feminism had a role in first women’s protests in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, aimed at obtaining gender equality through formal instruments such as basic legal and political rights (rights of contract, property rights, voting rights). Later, claims for workplace rights, including maternity leave and equal pay, resonated in Marxist feminism that established itself as an attempt to incorporate class and capitalism in the understanding of gender divisions.
3. Radical feminism and the “second wave” of the 1960s and the 1970s
Wednesday 7 February 2024; h 11-13
In the 1960s and the 1970s a second wave of feminist protests and actions occurred, fighting for women's right to bodily integrity and autonomy, for abortion rights, and for reproductive rights (including access to contraception and quality prenatal care). These claims were articulated in Radical feminism – a strand of thought that had various articulations – born as critique to liberal feminism to advance a reflection on the role of women in the overcoming of a male-controlled, capitalist hierarchy resulting in multiple forms of women’s oppression.
4. Postmodern feminism: diversity in movements
Wednesday 14 February 2024; h 11-13
Emphasis on patriarchy remains in the so-called Postmodern feminism, typical of the movements of the 1990s, defined as “the ultimate acceptor of diversity. Multiple truths, multiple roles, multiple realities are part of its focus. There is a rejectance of an essential nature of women, of one-way to be a woman” (Olson 1996; p. 19).
5. Black feminism and intersectional practices
Wednesday 21 February 2024; h 10-13
Guest lecturer: Lucia Amorosi
During much of its history, most feminist movements and theories had predominantly been associated with middle-class white women from Western Europe and North America. However, at least since activist Sojourner Truth's 1851 speech to American feminists, women of other “races” have proposed alternative feminisms. This trend accelerated in the 1960s with the Civil Rights movement in the United States and the collapse of European colonialism in Africa, the Caribbean, parts of Latin America and Southeast Asia, giving rise to “black feminism” and “post-colonial feminism”, which are critical of Western feminism for being ethnocentric, and have adopted the concept of intersectionality to analyse the forms of oppression deriving by the intertwining of gender, class and race.
6. Post-colonial feminism and women’s struggles in once-colonized territories
Wednesday 28 February 2024; h 10-13
Guest lecturer: Natasha Debora Aidoo
7. A fourth wave? The global revolt against gender-based violence
Wednesday 6 March 2024; h 10-13
Guest lecturer: Giada Bonu Rosenkranz
Recently, some scholars have talked of a fourth wave, to describe the new feminist movements that have emerged globally mostly pointing at gender-based violence, broadly understood as a set of behaviours ranging from verbal violence and psychological violence to sexual harassment and rape, domestic violence, feminicide.
8. Introduction to feminist methodology and ethical concerns
Wednesday 13 March 2024; h 11-13
A final part of the Course will be devoted to feminist methodology: feminist researchers employ the tools of standpoint epistemologies, intersectionality, interdisciplinarity, and the intertwining of scholarship and activism to contribute to political sociology and political science, but also to contribute to social change. With the term “malestream” they highlight the need for more inclusive research methodologies and theoretical perspectives that better represent and address the experiences and issues of women and other marginalized groups, calling to move beyond the male-centric biases in various academic disciplines, including sociology. Feminist research in sociology is mostly qualitative; while it encompasses different methods (interviews, participant observation, and so on), projects share a commitment to feminist ethics and theories. Among the commitments are the understanding that knowledge is situated in the subjectivities and lived experiences of both researcher and participants and research is deeply reflexive. Feminist theory informs both research questions and the methodology of a project in addition to serving as a foundation for analysis. The goals of feminist sociological research include dismantling systems of oppression, highlighting gender-based disparities, and promoting alternatives.
Obiettivi formativi
This Course will enable students to
- explore different approaches to feminist theory, recognizing similarities and interrogating differences between and among these approaches;
- evaluate feminist theories in a critical and rigorous manner;
- articulate how feminist theories shape academic research;
- draw on feminist theories to explore their own areas of interest;
- reflect on the relationship between feminist theories and movements’ practices;
- appreciate the interactive and reciprocal nature of feminist theory, practice and activism;
- recognize political and ethical issues in relation to feminist theory and the study of feminist activism;
- consider the collaborative nature of feminist theories and practices.
Riferimenti bibliografici
Classes and readings
Note for the participants: Please note that the readings are mostly considered as suggestions, some of which might be useful for your own research. I only want you to read a couple of articles per time, and with flexibility, meaning that you can choose from the list according to your own interests and previous knowledge (we will further discuss this matter in our first class). The readings will be made available in the shared folder.
1. The concept of feminist “waves” and its critics
Wednesday 10 January 2024; h 15-17
Readings
1. Evans E. and Chamberlain P. (2015) Critical Waves: Exploring Feminist Identity, Discourse and Praxis in Western Feminism, Social Movement Studies, 14:4, 396-409.
2. Hemmings C. (2005) Telling feminist stories, Feminist Theory, 6, 115–139.
Additional and optional (on specific cases):
3. Baumgardner J. (2011) Is there a fourth wave? Does it matter?, chapter in the book F’em: Goo Goo, Gaga and Some Thoughts on Balls, Seal Press.
4. Del Giorgio E. (2010) What has happened to the women’s movement?: organisational dynamics and trajectories of feminist organisations in Milan and Berlin, EUI, PhD Thesis; Selected parts.
2.
- The beginnings: Liberal feminism and its struggles for formal rights;
- Marxist/Socialist feminism and the struggles for labour rights
Friday 19 January 2024; h 10-13
Readings
1. Tong R. and Botts T.F. (2017, 5th edition) Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, West view Press, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chapter 1 “Liberal Feminism”.
2. Tong R. and Botts T.F. (2017, 5th edition) Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, West view Press, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chapter 3 “Marxist and Socialist Feminism”.
Additional and optional (on specific cases):
3. Wollstonecraft M. (1792) A Vindication of the Rights of Women; Introduction commented by Eileen Hunt Botting.
4. Eloisa Betti (2022) Equal Pay and Social Justice: Women’s Agency, Trade Union Action and International Regulations. Italy, the ILO and the EEC in the Global Context (1951–1977). The International History Review, 44:3, 577-594.
Further readings (abosolutely optional; just to have a look)
5. Smith H. (1984) Sex vs. Class: British Feminists and the Labour Movement, 1919‐1929, The Historian, 47:1, 19-37.
6. Brenner, J., & Holmstrom, N. (2013). Socialist-Feminist Strategy Today. Socialist Register, 49, 266-287.
3. Radical feminism and the “second wave” of the 1960s and the 1970s
Wednesday 7 February 2024; h 11-13
Readings:
1. Tong R. and Botts T.F. (2017, 5th edition) Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, West view Press, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chapter 2 “Radical Feminism”.
2. Millett K. (1970) Theory of Sexual Politics. In Barbara A. Crow (Ed.), Radical Feminism: A Documentary Reader, pp. 26-55, New York University Press, New York.
3. Gordon L. (2013) Socialist Feminism in the Second Wave. New Labor Forum. 22(3), 20-29.
Additional and optional (on specific cases):
4. Bracke, M. A. (2014) Women and the Reinvention of the Political: Feminism in Italy, 1968-1983. Routledge; Selected parts.
5. Baxandall R. and Gordon L. (2008) Second-wave feminism. In Hewitt N.A. A companion to American women’s history, 414-432, Wiley-Blackwell.
4. Postmodern feminism: diversity in movements
Wednesday 14 February 2024; h 11-13
Readings:
1. Tong R. and Botts T.F. (2017, 5th edition) Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, West view Press, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chapter 9 “Exisistentialist, Poststructural, and Postmodern Feminism”.
2. Tong R. and Botts T.F. (2017, 5th edition) Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, West view Press, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chapter 10 “Third-Wave and Queer Feminism”.
Additional and optional:
3. Walters S. D. (1996) From here to queer: Radical feminism, postmodernism, and the lesbian menace (or, why can't a woman be more like a fag?). Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 21(4), 830-869.
4. Roseneil S. (1999) "Postmodern feminist politics: the art of the (im) possible?." European Journal of Women's Studies 6.2 (1999): 161-182.
5. Black feminism and intersectional practices
Wednesday 21 February 2024; h 10-13
Guest lecturer: Lucia Amorosi
Readings:
1. Tong R. and Botts T.F. (2017, 5th edition) Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, West view Press, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chapter 4 “Women-of-Color Feminism(s) in the United States”.
2. Crenshaw K. (1989) Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139-167.
Additional and optional:
3. Brezina C. (2005) Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” Speech: A Primary Source Investigation. Rosen Publishing Group.
4. Combahee River Collective (1978). A Black Feminist Statement. In Eisenstein, Zillah R. (Ed.), Capitalist Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist Feminism. pp. 362–372, New York.
Readings suggested by Lucia Amorosi:
5. Hill Collins P. (2015) Intersectionality’s Definitional Dilemmas, Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 41:1-20.
6. Bohrer A., (2018) Intersectionality and Marxism, Historical Materialism 26 (2):46-74
7. hooks b. (1984), Black Women: framing Feminist Theory, in Feminist Theory from Margin To Center, South End Press, 1-15
6. Post-colonial feminism and women’s struggles in once-colonized territories
Wednesday 28 February 2024; h 10-13
Guest lecturer: Natasha Debora Aidoo
Readings (2 and 4 suggested by Natasha Debora Aidoo):
1. Tong R. and Botts T.F. (2017, 5th edition) Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, West view Press, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Chapter 5 “Women-of-Color Feminism(s) on the World Stage: Global, Postcolonial, and Transnational Feminisms”.
2. Lorde A. (1984)“The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House.” Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches.Ed.
3. Odeh L. A. (1993) Post-colonial feminism and the veil: Thinking the difference. Feminist Review, 43(1), 26-37.
4. Aída H. (Summer, 1989) Relating to Privilege: Seduction and Rejection in the Subordination of White Women and Women of Color. Signs, Vol. 14, No. 4, Common Grounds and Crossroads: Race, Ethnicity, and Class in Women's Lives, The University of Chicago Press, pp. 833-855.
Articles suggested by Natasha Debora Aidoo (these are optional):
Mohanty C. T. (1984) Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses. Boundary 2, 12/13, 333–358. https://doi.org/10.2307/302821
Sa’ar A. (2005) “Postcolonial Feminism, the Politics of Identification, and the Liberal Bargain.” Gender and Society 19, no. 5, 680–700. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27640835.
Spivak G. C. (1988) Can the Subaltern Speak? Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Swati P. (2016) Feminism and Postcolonialism: (En)gendering Encounters, Postcolonial Studies, 19:4, 371-377, DOI: 10.1080/13688790.2016.1317388
Books suggested by Nathasha Debora Aidoo (in case you want to dig further into the matter):
Lewis R. and Mills (Eds.) (2003). Feminist Postcolonial Theory: A Reader. Edinburgh University Press.
Anzaldua G. (1987) Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Aunt Lute Books, San Francisco.
Narayan U. (1997) Dislocating Cultures: Identities, Traditions, and Third World Feminism. Routledge.
Trinh T. Minh-Ha (1989) Woman, Native, Other: Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Articles suggested by Lucia Amorosi (absolutely optional):
Abu-Lughod L. (2002) Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Others, American Anthropologist, Vol. 104 n. 3.
Mama A. (2011) What does it mean to do feminist research in African contexts?, Feminist review.
7. A fourth wave? The global revolt against gender-based violence
Wednesday 6 March 2024; h 10-13
Guest lecturer: Giada Bonu Rosenkranz
Readings:
1. Munro E. (2013) Feminism: A fourth wave?. Political insight, 4(2), 22-25.
2. Jain S. (2020) The Rising Fourth Wave: Feminist Activism and Digital Platforms in India. ORF Issue Brief No. 384, Observer Research Foundation.
3. Barone A. and Bonu G. (2022) Ni una menos/Non una di meno. In The Wiley-Blackwell encyclopedia of social and political movements. John Wiley & Sons.
Additional and optional:
Zimmerman T. (2017). #Intersectionality: The fourth wave feminist Twitter community. Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture & Social Justice, 38(1), 54-70
Mendes K., Ringrose J. and Keller J. (2018) #MeToo and the promise and pitfalls of challenging rape culture through digital feminist activism. European Journal of Women's Studies, 25(2), 236-246.
Readings suggested by Giada Bonu Rosenkranz:
to be added
8. Introduction to feminist methodology and ethical concerns
Wednesday 13 March 2024; h 11-13
Readings:
1. Fonow, M. M. and Cook, A. C. (1991) Beyond methodology: Feminist scholarship as lived research. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
2. Intemann K. (2010) 25 Years of Feminist Empiricism and Standpoint Theory: Where Are We Now? Hypatia, 25(4):778-796. doi:10.1111/j.1527-2001.2010.01138.x
3. Gatenby, B. and Humphries, M. (2000) Feminist participatory action research: Methodological and ethical issues. In Women's studies international forum (Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 89-105). Pergamon.
4. Davis, K. (2014) Intersectionality as critical methodology. In Lykke N. (ed.)Writing academic texts differently: Intersectional feminist methodologies and the playful art of writing, 17-29.