WGSS 41.06 Transnational Feminisms
Transnational feminism, in its broadest vision, has been the project of “feminism without borders.” Rooted in intersectionality, justice, praxis, and solidarity, the banner of transnational feminism has assembled scholars and activists from diverse social and geopolitical positions through coalitions across global, regional, national, and local borders, both within and beyond the nation-state. This course begins with genealogies of global, women of color, and postcolonial or Third World feminisms and histories of movement-building from which transnational feminism emerged. Students will be introduced to themes of universalism, solidarity, positionality, and the problems with speaking for “others,” especially Northern feminists representing women in the Global South. In the second part of the course, we turn to contemporary topics in transnational feminism, including globalization, development, war, militarism, labor, migration, climate change, and humanitarianism, and feminist mobilizing against injustice within and across borders.