Gender and Social Inclusion, Social Reproduction and Feminist Interventions

Course goals

After completion of this courses, students are able to:
•    Critically assess and engage with concepts and theories related to feminist critical theory, social reproduction theory and feminist epistemologies, identifying their strengths and limitations.
•    Synthesize ideas from multiple readings to formulate coherent arguments and contribute to scholarly debates on feminist critical theory, social reproduction theory and feminist epistemologies.
•    Apply theoretical insights to design and conduct research projects addressing issues of difference and social inclusion.
•    Reflect on their positionality as researchers and its impact on knowledge production and community engagement.
•    Develop methodological skills to engage meaningfully with research communities.
•    Communicate research findings effectively, emphasizing scholarly and societal relevance.
•    Reflect critically on the relationship between theory and social practices as a foundational element for a feminist critique of social conditions, and on the interplay between theoretical frameworks and real-world contexts.

Content

“Theory—the seeing of patterns, showing the forest as well as the trees—theory can be a dew that rises from the earth and collects in the rain cloud and returns to earth over and over. But if it doesn’t smell of the earth, it isn’t good for the earth.”
—Adrienne Rich, “Notes on the politics of location”

“Oppressed groups are frequently placed in the situation of being listened to only if we frame our ideas in the language that is familiar to and comfortable for a dominant group. This requirement often changes the meaning of our ideas and works to elevate the ideas of dominant groups.”
—Patricia Hill Collins, Black Feminist Thought

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of the intersections between difference and social inclusion, emphasizing the critical role of feminist theory in analyzing and addressing issues of power, domination, and marginalization, for emancipatory goals. The curriculum integrates both theoretical and methodological dimensions and addressing issues of feminist epistemology, reflexivity, and ethics. Students will engage with foundational and contemporary critical texts related to ferminist critical theory and social reproduction theory, applying their learning through practical assignments that bridge theoretical research with empirical one. The course aims to foster critical thinking, enhance methodological reflection, and initiate first year RMA students to the practice of qualitative research and interpret data effectively.

A central aim of this course is to encourage students to reflect critically on the relationship between feminist theory and social practice. Students are offered the opportunity to explore how their theoretical interests take shape in concrete social contexts, for example through engaging in an exploratory interview related to their research topic. Through this process, students become familiar with key feminist epistemological questions concerning situated knowledge, power, reflexivity, and ethics in research encounters. Participatory action research is introduced not as a prescribed method, but as a critical research orientation that raises questions about collaboration, knowledge production, and the social relevance of feminist scholarship. 

Questions guiding the course:
-    How do feminist perspectives challenge traditional understandings of power, inequality, and social inclusion across different contexts?

-    What is the relationship between theoretical frameworks and real-world practices in addressing issues of power and inclusion?

-    How can researchers critically and ethically engage with communities to produce knowledge that fosters social change?

Sample of assigned readings:

• Fraser Nancy. (2016). “Contradictions of capital and care.” New Left Review (100): 99–117.
• Gago, Verónica. “#WeStrike: Toward a Political Theory of the Feminist Strike.” 2020. In Feminist International: How to Change Everything, 21–59. London: Verso Books.
• Patricia Hill Collins. 2000. “The politics of Black Feminist Thought.” In Black Feminist Thought., 1-19. New York: Routledge. 
• Hartsock, Nancy C. 1998. “The Feminist Standpoint Revisited.” In The Feminist Standpoint Revisited and Other Essays, 227–248. New York: Routledge.
• Scott, Joan Wallace. (1991). “The evidence of experience.” Critical inquiry, 17(4), 773-797.

 

Additional information

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final, and may still be modified until the third Wednesday in September.