Course Description:

In a viral TED Talk titled “We Should All Be Feminists,” Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stated, “That word feminist is so heavy with baggage, negative baggage. You hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, that sort of thing.” Indeed, feminism is among the most fraught terms commonly in use both today and throughout its history. Moreover, as Adichie suggests, the contestations surrounding the meanings and values of feminism are only heightened when the term—and the social and cultural movements identified as feminist—cross borders. In this course, we will examine feminist perspectives from around the world in comparative frame. We will consider the ways that feminism has both shaped and been shaped by the cultures it encounters. And while we are unlikely to settle the meaning of feminism once and for all, we will come to appreciate the need for a transnational perspective in coming to an understanding of feminism and all of its “baggage.”

Syllabus