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Section 1: Feminist Epistemologies and Frameworks

Section 1 includes texts that help us to explore knowledge production itself. As a field, Feminist Studies had to argue for its legitimacy at its inception, and continues to face criticism both from those who are writing within the field and also from its ideological opponents. These differences are often epistemological, defined simply as the study of knowledge. Some common epistemological questions include: What is knowledge?, How do people know what they know?, Who are the authors of knowledge?, and What are legitimate objects of study and analysis? Feminist Studies complicates and enriches these questions by considering the particular conditions under which knowledge is produced. For example, feminist epistemology asks questions like: How does experience inform knowledge?, How is research funded and produced?, and How do we ask questions in feminist ways? This section takes up these questions, and introduces some approaches to discussing and producing feminist knowledge, as well as some key terms and frameworks that shape Feminist Studies.

1

Part I: Feminist Historiography

Class Activities

The Digital Transgender Archive (DTA)

  • Link:Digital Transgender Archive
  • Relevance: Provides access to a wealth of historical documents, images, and other materials relevant to Stryker’s essay (Chapter 2).
  • Choose a selection of Oral History Shorts for students to watch and discuss in groups. Some questions to pose to small groups:
    • What is the importance of oral history as a method? How does it add to the historical record?
    • Why is oral history especially important for marginalized groups?
    • Is this a feminist way of doing history? Why or why not?

Timeline Creation: “Charting Trans and Feminist Histories”

  • Students work in groups to create a visual timeline of significant events in transgender and feminist history. They can also create an individual/personal timeline by aligning the process with their own life.
  • Relevance: Helps students visualize and connect historical events and theoretical developments.
  • Discuss: What events are part of the timeline? Can you think of anything that is overlooked? What kind of trans and feminist history does this timeline tell?

Reflection Questions for Readings in Part I

Chapter 3. Agatha Beins, “Feminist Historiography: Historicizing in the Present and for the Future”

  1. What might you articulate the relationship between what we know about the past and the methods used to discern this knowledge?
  2. Why is it useful for historians to be aware of their own worldviews and assumptions when researching and writing history?
  3. What tools does feminist historiography offer for analyzing primary source artifacts?
  4. How would you propose developing a feminist practice for cataloging primary sources in an archive?

Chapter 4. Stacy Macias, “Calling All Chicana Feminist Theorists, Trans Historians, and Queer Femme Scholars: Abject Epistemologies in Feminist Theory Historiography”

  1. What stakes does the author cite as critical to engaging with Hemmings’s essay, or in general with the dominant telling of feminist theory’s recent development?
  2. What feminist epistemological intervention is the author making? What aspects of this intervention are different from, or similar to, other epistemological interventions?
  3. Among the author’s three counter examples, what commonalities do they share? How is the author positioning their relationship to hegemonic feminist theory and its past?
  4. What additional fields of thought or feminist analytics might you be able to identify that align with the author’s investment in displacing hegemonic feminist theories and theorizing of the field of women’s and gender studies? What do you make of the author’s cautionary conclusion?

Materials developed and curated by Sameen

2

Part II: Power

Introductory Activity: Can the Subaltern Speak?

  1. Pre-class reading assignment: Foucault (chapter 5) and Spivak (chapter 6)
  2. Divide your classroom into three groups: elite, marginalized, and subaltern.
  3. Materials needed:
    1. Elite: All students in the group should be given writing paper and writing utensils.
    2. Marginalized: All students in the group should be given a writing utensil (or use their own). 1 sheet of paper shall be given to the group as a whole.
    3. Subaltern: 1 sheet of paper and 1 writing utensil shall be given to the group as a whole.
  4. Provide the following instructions to the full class: In this activity, we will be examining the ways in which power operates. As you read, power is not a unified or singularly directed force; instead, power is most often diffuse and difficult to trace. This activity will help us to identify how power works.
  5. Provide the following instructions to the groups:
    1. Elite: Your task is to maintain control over the conversation. You may use any communication means necessary to speak, such as verbal and written communication.
    2. Marginalized: Your task is to equalize control over the conversation – that is, ensure that all voices are being heard. You may only use written communication.
    3. Subaltern: Your task is to have your voice heard. You may only draw images or use body language, and no verbal words.
  6. Select a topic that has 2 or more sides. We recommend choosing a topic that many students will wish to engage, such as popular media or news. You may choose the topic ahead of time, or you may allow the class to choose. Inform students that they should come to a consensus about the topic.
  7. Allow small groups time to choose their stance about the topic and strategize about how to best implement their group’s resources. If there is consensus among all three groups, the instructor may have to assign stances.
  8. Open the floor for a debate between all three groups.
  9. Once time is up, begin a discussion.
    1. What was the consensus, if any?
    2. Why do you believe that this was the conclusion?
    3. Who spoke the most? For what reasons?
    4. What was the technology of power in the discussion?
    5. How do you feel the activity reflects your everyday lives?
    6. What is gendered about this technology of power?
    7. As you answer, be careful of essentialist readings of power.
    8. How did one’s position as elite, marginalized, or subaltern affect the group’s ability to come to a consensus?
  10. Connect this discussion back to the readings.

Before starting the activity, you may wish to lay out some guidelines about the direction of the activity, such as avoiding hurtful comments or being mindful about speaking.

While the activity is designed to demonstrate the modality through which power thrives, we do not wish to repeat the violence of power in our classrooms.

Resources for Instructors

  1. Corrine C. Bertram, and M. Sue Crowley. “Teaching about Sexual Violence in Higher Education: Moving from Concern to Conscious Resistance.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 33, no. 1 (2012): 63–82. https://doi.org/10.5250/fronjwomestud.33.1.0063.
  2. Rebecca Hanson, and Patricia Richards. Harassed: Gender, Bodies, and Ethnographic Research. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2019.

Reflection Questions for Readings in Part II

Chapter 7. Tate Serletti, ““People with Uteruses”: Uterine Transplantation, In/fertility, and Trans Pregnancy”

  1. Drawing on Foucault and Spivak collectively, how does UTx emerge as a site through which power produces subjectivity? What is the role of reproduction, specifically, in the construction and maintenance of normative gender and sexual subjectivities?
  2. How does a critical approach to UTx encourage a skeptical view of medicine? Further, what are the ways in which medicine and technology are complicit in the maintenance of gender and sexuality?
  3. Following question two, does UTx specifically and/or medicine and technology more broadly offer any potential escape from normative subjectivity?
  4. Drawing on Foucault and Spivak and considering the contemporary context of reproductive justice politics, what is at stake in “medical choice” and “people with uteruses” discourses? What workings of power and subjectivity might be harmed and what might be protected in these discursive shifts?

Chapter 8. Melinda Chen, “Feminists Disrupt Power: Rape & the Heterogeneity of Subjugated Resistance”

  1. According to Michel Foucault, what are the two types of power? What are the dangers associated with each? What are the possibilities associated with each? 
  2. In what ways is rape a kind of biopower? Name at least two technologies of rape identified in this chapter.
  3. For Feminist Studies scholars concerned about subalternity, what work does identifying the subaltern do? What are the benefits and limits of the practices of identifying and naming?
  4. According to Spivak, what is “resistance”? Contrary to anti-rape institutions, what would resistance look like in feminist anti-rape organizing?

Materials developed and curated by Melinda Chen

3

Part III: Materiality

Classroom Activities

Crafting and/or tinkering in the classroom can help students engage with the materiality of objects “Feminist Philosophical Toys” project by Rebecca Rouse (University of Skövde, Sweden) and Nassim Parvin (Georgia Tech, USA). This is a series of eight interactive DIY paper toys for teaching feminist philosophy to students. As the site highlights, “The toys foreground the oral and the dialogic while reflecting on and committing to engaging materiality, record-keeping and record making.”

  1. Bring a natural object to class (this activity is based on an approach designed by Banu Subramaniam).
    1. Ask students to bring a natural object to class (or a picture of a natural object); ask students to present their object and explain why they chose it and what makes it “natural;” from this conversation, move into different discussions of the term “natural” and how it has been used to reinforce and challenge oppression based on gender, race, sexuality, ability, and other intersecting categories.
    2. Use the readings in Part III to discuss the meaning of “natural” and how this is displayed through their objects of choice. Contrast “natural” with terms like generated or man-made, and discuss those distinctions.
  2. Design a feminist theme dorm floor (this activity is based on an approach designed by Aimi Hamraie).
    1. Ask students to design a dorm floor in which the residents all share a common interest and want to  share their interest with the larger university community through activities. Theme floors must be open to all students attending the university. Your task is to create a proposal for a feminist theme floor.
    2. The proposal should address some or all of the following questions:
      1. What is your theme floor called? What is your mission statement and what are your goals?
      2. How is your floor advertised to students?
      3. How will you select students to live on the floor?
      4. What will be the leadership process/how will decisions be made? How will conflicts be resolved?
      5. What kinds of events will be planned for the floor? For the university?
      6. In addition to general rules that apply to all students at the university, will there be any additional rules that floor residents must follow?
      7. How will common areas be maintained?
    3. In addition, to give the selection committee a better sense of the community you are envisioning, please submit a floor plan for your theme floor. In designing your floor plan, you may want to think about sleeping arrangements, bathrooms, common areas, and the accessibility of your floor to different students.
    4. Use the readings in Part III to discuss how design is a feminist process and the ways that space facilitates particular kinds of social interactions.

Video Clips, Memes, and Images

  1. See Red Women’s Workshop Feminist Posters: https://seeredwomensworkshop.wordpress.com/
  2. Dresher conversation with feminist disability studies theorist Rosemarie Garland-Thomson: https://youtu.be/hWVyKBvvO80?feature=shared
  3. EveryBody: An Artifact History of Disability in America: https://everybody.si.edu/
  4. Stella Young, “I’m not your inspiration” https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_inspiration_thank_you_very_much?language=en
  5. Judith Heumann, “Our fight for disability rights and why we’re not done yet” https://youtu.be/ABFpTRlJUuc?feature=shared

Reflection Questions for Readings in Part III

Chapter 11. Kristina Gupta, “Materiality, Compulsory Sexuality, and Sexual Desire”

  1. What different definitions of “the material” or “materialism” have you encountered in feminist scholarship? How do Marxist and socialist feminism think about “the material”? How do feminist disability studies and feminist science studies think about “the material”? Why is it important for feminist scholars and activists to grapple with “the material”?
  2. Hennessy argues for the importance of understanding discourse(s) as material. What does she mean by this? How does Chen demonstrate the materiality of discourse in their discussion of lead toxicity?
  3. Hennessy argues for the importance of using an intersectional approach to study materiality. How does an intersectional approach inform Chen’s analysis of lead toxicity?
  4. How does Gupta incorporate insights from feminist historical materialism and feminist new materialism in her work on contemporary asexual identities and compulsory sexuality?
  5. Feminist historical materialism focuses, among other things, on the role of production and reproduction in systems of oppression. Feminist new materialism focuses, among other things, on the co-constitution of matter and society. Where do the two perspectives diverge? Where do they converge or how can they be used together?

Chapter 12. Allison (AP) Pierce, “Disruptive Diffusion: Materiality and the Politics of AI-generated art”

  1. What does it mean to call AI-generated images “matter” in the context of Hennessy and Chen?
  2. Are there other queer uses you can think of for AI art generators?
  3. Can you think of other kinds of work that tend to be obscured in discussions of artificial intelligence? What is obscured by the term “artificial intelligence” itself?

Materials developed and curated by Kristina Gupta

4

Part IV: Affect

Videos and Documentaries

  1. "Paris Is Burning" (1990) directed by Jennie Livingston
  2. "Disclosure" (2020) directed by Sam Feder
  3. “Orlando, My Political Biography” (2023) directed by Paul B. Preciado

Classroom Activities

  1. Discussion Circles: Divide the class into small groups to discuss specific chapters from Part IV. Each group can focus on different themes such as "queer slants," "orientations," or "heteronormativity as a straightening device."
  2. Body Mapping
    • Objective: To explore and visualize how different identities and experiences are embodied.
    • Preparation: Provide large sheets of paper and art supplies (markers, paints, etc.).
    • Activities:
      • Have each student trace an outline of their body on the large paper.
      • Ask them to mark different areas of the body with symbols, colors, or drawings that represent their experiences, identities, and how they navigate the world (e.g., places where they feel strong, vulnerable, scrutinized, empowered).
      • Encourage students to include external influences such as societal expectations, cultural norms, and personal experiences.
      • Allow time for students to share and discuss their body maps with the class in a safe and supportive environment.
      • Reflect on how different identities and experiences are embodied and how they shape interactions with the world. What are the affective aspects of identity and embodiment? How does identity shape our affective experiences? Draw connections to the chapters in Part IV.

Reflection Questions for Readings in Part IV

Chapter 15. Charlie Yi Zhang, “A Body-Grounded View of China’s Neoliberal Transition”

  1. How does the affective turn inform new ways of seeing and perceiving to better articulate differences among bodies and their relationship to world-building (e.g., ethno-racialized, non-binary, disabled/debilitated, neurodivergent, viral, non-human, and inorganic)?
  2. Building upon the discussion of the case of China, how does the recent turn to the body in critical theories provide new perspectives on social systems and structures, such as the state, family, work, market, and science and technology?
  3. What have you learned from the ongoing theoretical debate over the body? Is there any way that you can apply this knowledge to help create a more inhabitable world for different forms of embodiment in your own life?

Chapter 16. Abraham Weil, “Out of Line”

  1. How has heterosexuality been used for colonial and imperialist ends? Name an example.
  2. Consider the ways that heterosexuality is represented as the default position. Choose a piece of media and discuss how you see heterosexuality and queerness represented in relation to each other.
  3. Define affect. What is its relationship to emotion? Sexuality? Gender?
  4. This piece ends by resisting the individualizing structures of sex and sexuality. Using Ahmed and Berlant, how might “queer” invite large scale societal transformation? Can “queer” be more than a sexual identity?

Materials developed and curated by Sameen

5

Part V: State Institutions

Reference Materials

  1. Compare anti-homosexual criminal laws across the former British colonial empire for a deeper understanding of the legacy and injustice of the colonial enterprise.

https://www.hrw.org/report/2008/12/17/alien-legacy/origins-sodomy-laws-british-colonialism

  1. Examples of LGBTQIA advocacy in Malaysia and Southeast Asia:
    1. https://justiceforsisters.wordpress.com/
    2. https://www.instagram.com/pluho_org/
    3. https://www.instagram.com/pelangicampaign/?hl=en
    4. https://www.instagram.com/seedmalaysia/
    5. https://www.queerlapis.com/
    6. https://www.instagram.com/jejakaorg/
    7. https://weareaptn.org/
    8. https://aseansogiecaucus.org/
    9. https://www.ilgaasia.org/

Class Activity

“Mapping Transnational Flows”

Divide the students into small groups and provide them with a world map. Ask each group to identify and mark different transnational flows such as migration, trade, and cultural exchange. Have them discuss the implications of these flows and how they relate to the construction of walls as discussed by Brown.

Art

Show students a selection of artworks that address themes of state violence, police brutality, and resistance. Discuss the ways in which artists use visual representation to challenge state power. Some potential art ideas:

  1. "Blue Wall of Violence" - https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/blue-wall-of-violence/
  2. Murals from CAA/NRC protests of 2019-2020 (India) against the Citizenship Amendment Act which subtly tries to take citizenship away from the Muslim population of India.
  3. Coke Studio Season 11| Hum Dekhenge A song that became a protest chant and slogan during the CAA Protests (India)
  4. Azadi (Dub Sharma) Video An Indian student protest song about freedom (Azadi) from different social problems. The chant was brought to India after originating in Pakistan during the feminist protests against the Zia administration in the late 1970s.

Reflection Questions for Readings in Part V

Chapter 19. Kelly Sharron, “A State of Contradictions”

  1. According to Brown, walls are not a defense against international invasions, but a response to the transnational flows of people, ideologies, and goods (81). What distinguishes international from transnational, and how does sovereignty play a role in these distinctions?
  2. Both Puar and Brown emphasize the inside/outside of power, either through walls or the integrating force of homonationalism. How are inside and outside marked? Is this a spatial, discursive, and/or ideological distinction? Can you name examples?
  3. Mass incarceration is present throughout this chapter, from the militarization of the border to the War on Terror to the caring police. How does a feminist analysis of the state allow us to connect these seemingly disparate sites and discourses? What is a feminist response to these repressive, racialized, and violent effects of the state?
  4. Can you name other ways that the state acts in seemingly contradictory ways?

Chapter 20. Azza Basarudin, “Mak Nyahs and the Subject of Rights: Perversity, Piety, and Citizenship in Postcolonial Malaysia”

  1. What are the ways that geographical, historical, and political contexts produce gendered and sexual narratives and subjectivities?
  2. How do subjects participate in and shape sexual politics and public life, particularly among religious-cultural lines?
  3. How do situated narratives and subjectivities disrupt our engagement with the normative gendered subject in Muslim contexts?
  4. How do we reimagine transnational feminist liberatory goals while remaining critical of patriarchal nationalisms and global tensions that shape the contours of research?

Materials developed and curated by Azza Basarudin and Sameen

6

Part VI: Political Economy

Classroom Activities

For Chapter 23, Verklan:

  1. Research the cost of local childcare.
  2. Compare that cost against average wages for a variety of workers to see who can afford childcare. Research the wage of childcare and home health care aides.
  3. Compare these wages against the cost of housing and national living wage(s) to see how these workers fare. Research which countries provide their citizens with paid leave and socialized childcare.
  4. How do these nations fare in terms of gender equality? (i.e., how many women hold advanced degrees, paid employment/careers, etc.).

For Chapter 24, Gupta:

  1. Watch the video essays below and consider some of the suggested questions below.
  2. Who are some of the platform workers you have interacted with (ex: Uber, Task Rabbit, Deliveroo) and what are the sites where you imagine they replenish themselves and each other? These might not be the household, so where else should we look?

Video Clips, Memes, and Images

  1. Short video essays collaboratively made with Middlebury students analyzing the entrepreneurial sector of workers in India:

    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9CCsv02G2I&feature=youtu.be
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I056XiUVG4

  2. In chapter 24, Gupta states, “I will show that we cannot think of paid employment separate from relations of kinship, friendship, and desire.” In the video above, what are some forms of social reproduction enabled by her work (for example classed and gendered social reproduction) and how might these forms of labor mark a shift from the social reproduction performed in her familial home?
  3. Given the onset of COVID, are there multiple forms of social reproduction that we witness in the video and if so, how are they similar or different from one another?
  4. For discussion of films that are useful for teaching about this topic, please see Elizabeth Verklan’s essay in Films for the Feminist Classroom: http://ffc.twu.edu/issue_9-1/rev_Verklan_9-1.html

Reflection Questions for Readings in Part VI

23. Elizabeth Verklan, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

  1. How might socialized childcare (i.e., federally funded childcare available to all citizens regardless of income) advance the status of women?
  2. How does the individual work of caring for children benefit everyone in a society— even  those people who choose not to have children?
  3. Do all workers need to “love” their jobs in order to be fulfilled? Why or why not?
  4. If someone works for free, are they still a worker? Why or why not?

24. Hemangini Gupta, “When the Office is Family: Queering Social Reproduction under Startup Capitalism”

  1. How are some current forms of work in the gig economy and platform economy examples of feminized labor even though they are not performed by women?
  2. Define social reproduction? Where does it take place? Who does it? How and why?
  3. What are some examples from the text that explain how workers perform social reproduction?
  4. Can you come up with examples of social reproduction that occur within your own feminist and queer communities? Why did you choose these examples?

Materials developed and curated by Elizabeth Verklan and Hemangini Gupta