BHUM 17A26 - Introduction to feminist theories

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of foundational and contemporary debates in

feminist theory. Through a critical engagement with a wide range of perspectives including liberal,

Marxist, materialist, intersectional, radical, cultural, postcolonial, decolonial, imperial, and

transnational feminisms it introduces students to key theoretical frameworks, epistemological

questions, and sites of feminist resistance. Particular attention is given to the relationship between

feminist theory and cultural production, including how gendered, racialized, and geopolitical

identities are constructed, contested, and mobilized within global contexts.

The course also reflects on the power of feminist thought to challenge hegemonic narratives and to

transform institutions, representations, and artistic practices. Through close readings, collective

discussions, and visual and textual analysis, students will develop analytical tools to critically assess

the complexities and contradictions that have shaped feminist theoretical developments across time

and space.

Throughout the semester, students are expected to engage with diverse readings and case studies,

including materials on Palestinian and diasporic women artists, in order to question how feminist

frameworks can illuminate structures of oppression, resistance, and creative transformation.

This course requires sustained engagement with complex theoretical materials and critical conversations. There are no prerequisites.

Fall semester :

Session 1

• First part : Course expectations, structure and assignments.
• Second part : Introduction and Foundations of Feminist Thought

Learning Objective:

 Introduce students to key definitions and foundational debates within feminist theory.

 Understand the diversity of feminist thought across history and geography.

Required Readings:

• Nicholson, Linda. 1997. “Introduction.” In *The Second Wave: A Reader in Feminist Theory*. (Excerpts to be posted

on Moodle)

• Delmar, Rosalind. 1986. “What is Feminism?” *Women's Studies International Forum* 8(1): 1-10. (Excerpts to be

posted on Moodle)

• hooks, bell. 1991. “Theory as Liberatory Practice.” *Yale Journal of Law and Feminism* 4(1): 1–12.

Additional Readings:

 Schneir, Miriam. 1994. “Introduction.” Feminism: The Essential Historical Writings.

Session 2

The first wave : The First Wave and Liberal Feminism

SYLLABUS

Learning objectives:

Examine the emergence of feminist demands in the 18th–19th century and the foundations of liberal

feminist thought. Reflect on its emancipatory promises and structural limitations.

Required Readings (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle) :

• Tong, Rosemarie. 2008. “Liberal Feminism.” In *Feminist Thought*. (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle)
• Mary Wollstonecraft. 1792. *A Vindication of the Rights of Woman*. (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle)
• Sojourner Truth. 1851. “Ain’t I a Woman?” Speech at Women's Convention, Akron, Ohio.
• Combahee River Collective. 1979. Statement of Purpose.

Additional Readings:

• Mill, John Stuart. The Subjection of Women (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle)

Session 3

Marxist and Materialist Feminisms

Learning Objective: Analyze feminist critiques of capitalism, labor, and reproduction. Understand

the intersection of gender and class.

Required Readings (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle):

• • Tong, Rosemarie. 2008. “Marxist and Socialist Feminism.” In *Feminist Thought*. (Excerpts to be posted on

Moodle)

• • Hartmann, Heidi. 1981. “The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism.” *Women's Studies

International Quarterly*. (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle)

• • Kuhn, Annette & AnnMarie Wolpe. 1978. *Feminism and Materialism*. (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle)

Additional Readings:

• Hartmann, H. (1981). Capitalism, patriarchy, and job segregation by sex.

Session 4

SYLLABUS

Intersectionality

Learning Objective: Introduce intersectionality as a lens to understand overlapping systems of

power and identity.

Required Readings:

• Crenshaw, Kimberlé. 1991. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women

of Color.” *Stanford Law Review*, 43(6): 1241–1299.

• Brah, Avtar & Phoenix, Ann. 2004. “Ain’t I A Woman? Revisiting Intersectionality.” *Journal of International

Women’s Studies* 5(3): 75–86.

Additional Readings:

• Lewis, Gail. 2013. “Unsafe Travel: Experiencing Intersectionality and Feminist Displacements.” *Signs* 38(4):

869–892.

Session 5

Radical Feminism

Learning Objectives: Understand radical critiques of patriarchy and systems of domination based on

sexual politics.

Required Readings (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle):

 Tong, Rosemarie. 2008. “Radical Feminism.”

 Brownmiller, Susan. 1975. Against Our Will.

 Dworkin, Andrea. 1979. Pornography: Men Possessing Women. Additional Readings:

 MacKinnon, Catharine. 1989. Toward a Feminist Theory of the State (Excerpts).

Session 6

Cultural Feminism

Learning Objectives: Explore debates around essentialism, identity, and the politics of culture.

Required Readings (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle):

 Alcoff, Linda. 1988. “Cultural Feminism versus Post-Structuralism: The Identity Crisis in

Feminist Theory.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 13, no. 3: 405–436.

 Williams, Brooke. 1975. “The Retreat to Cultural Feminism.” In Feminist Revolution.

Redstockings Collective.

Additional readings :

SYLLABUS

 Rich, Adrienne. 1976. Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution. New

York: Norton.

 Wolff, Wendy. 2009. “Cultural Feminism.” In The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology,

edited by George Ritzer. Oxford: Blackwell.

Spring semester:

Session 1

Postcolonial Feminism

• Trinh, Thi Minh-ha (1989): Woman, Native, Other. Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism.

Bloomington: Indiana University.

• Suleri, Sara (1994): “Woman Skin Deep: Feminism and the Postcolonial Condition’. In:

Patrick Williams & Laura Chrisman (Eds.): Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory:

A Reader. New York & London:

• Trinh, Thi Minh-ha (1989): Woman, Native, Other. Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism.

Bloomington: Indiana University.

• Trinh, Thi Minh-ha (1989): Woman, Native, Other. Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism.

Bloomington: Indiana University.

Session 2

Decolonial Feminism

• Mendez, X. (2015). Notes toward a decolonial feminist methodology: revisiting the

race/gender matrix. Trans-scripts, 5, 41-56.

• Nour Abu-Assab, Nof Nasser-Eddin. "(Re)Centralising Palestine in Decolonial Feminist

Theory". Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research Vol. 5 No. 1 (2019): pp. 5-10

• Chandra Talpade Mohanty - "Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing

Solidarity" (2003)

SYLLABUS

Session 3

Femonationalism and Imperial Feminism

Expanded Learning Objectives:

 Analyze how feminist discourses have been instrumentalized in imperial and nationalist

projects.

 Critically engage with the co-optation of women’s rights in militarized, colonial, and anti-

immigration policies.

Additional Reading Suggestion:

• Farris, Sara R. "Femonationalism and the ‘Muslim woman’." (2012)
• El-Tayeb, Fatima. "Feminist misconceptions: The crisis of feminist hegemony in the

‘European’ Union." European Journal of Women's Studies 20, no. 3 (2013): 229-243

• Amos, Valerie, and Pratibha Parmar. ‘Challenging Imperial Feminism’. Feminist Review,

no. 17 (1984): 3–19.

• Stoler, Ann Laura. "Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power: Race and the Intimate in

Colonial Rule." University of California Press, 2002. (Excerpts)

Session 4

Learning Objectives: Introduce poststructural approaches to subjectivity, discourse, and power in

feminist theory.

Required Readings (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle):

Post structural feminism

• Weedon, Chris. (1997). Feminist Practice and Poststructuralist Theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
• St. Pierre, Elizabeth A. (2000). “Poststructural Feminism in Education: An Overview.”

International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 13(5): 477–515.

Session 5

Learning Objectives: Examine how feminism circulates across borders, and how it is refracted through political and

cultural specificities.

Required Readings (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle):

Case Study – Transnational Feminism and the Case of Iran and Palestine

SYLLABUS

• Shaban, Sara. (2022). Iranian Feminism and Transnational Ethics in Media Discourse. Rowman &

Littlefield.

• Abu-Rabia-Queder, Sarab. (2010). Palestinian Women in Israel: Identity, Power Relations and

Coping. Hakibbutz Hame'uchad Publishing House.

• Showcase of the documentary: Bye Bye Tibériade of Lina Soualem.

Additional readings :

• Mohanty, Chandra Talpade (2003): "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial

Discourses" in Feminism Without Borders. Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity. Durham,

London: Duke University. pp 17-42 (25 pages)

Session 6

Case Study – Indigenous Feminisms

Learning Objectives: Understand indigenous feminist perspectives in relation to land, sovereignty,

and colonial legacies.

Required Readings (Excerpts to be posted on Moodle):

 Smith, Andrea. (2005). “Native American Feminism, Sovereignty, and Social Change.”

Feminist Studies, 31(1), 116–132.

 Additional Readings:

 Jean (Eds.). (2010). Indigenous Women and Feminism: Politics, Activism, Culture.

Vancouver: UBC Press.

 Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. “As We Have Always Done.” (Excerpts)