Women, Race and Ethnicities

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

Teaching methodologies mainly include lecturing by the instructor and collective reading and commenting of theoretical texts, as well as the practical analysis of different kinds of materials connected to the items on the syllabus. These may include film, photography, advertising, literature and other forms of artistic expression. Individual oral presentation(s) will be encouraged to reinforce the development of critical skills and an active engagement with the group activity.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the curricular unit, students should: 1) be familiar with the main elements of identity theory and its relation with notions such as sexual identity / gender, race, ethnicity and culture; 2) be acquainted with the fundamentals of the theories of racism and be able to identify and analyze racist discourses; 3) understand some basic concepts of post-colonial theory; 4) understand the many forms of oppression that intersect in racially or ethnically marked women, and be able to reflect about the situation of women in different notions of multiculturalism in the West; 5) be able to discuss the relation of feminism(s) with racial and ethnic identities and colonialism, and know the historical evolution of feminist theories and praxis in this perspective; 7) know the main debates issuing from "Black feminism", “Third-World feminism” (South-American, Asian, African) and Islamic feminism.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Identity theory

1.1 Sexual identity / gender

1.2 Race, ethnicity, culture

2. Race and racism

3. Post-colonial theory

4. Women and the intersectionality of oppressions: race, ethnicity, culture, class

4.1. Women in Western “multiculturalisms”

5. Feminism, racial and ethnic identities and colonialism: historical evolution of feminist theory and practice in this perspective

5. 1  "Black feminism"

5. 2  “Third-World Feminism” (South-American, Asian, African)

5. 3 Islamic Feminism.

 

The syllabus may change in different editions of the course.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Active participation in session and oral presentation(s): 40.0%
Synthesis work: 60.0%

Bibliography

Andersen, M. L., Collins P. H. (1998). Race, Class, and Gender. Wadsworth Pub. Co.

Anzaldúa, G. (1987). Borderlands La Frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books.

Back, L. & J. Solomos. (2009). Theories of Race and Racism. London: Routledge.

Gandhi, L. (1998). Postcolonial Theory. New York: Columbia UP.

Hackett, E. & S. Haslanger. (2006). Theorising Feminisms. New York. OUP.

Hull, G. et al. (1982). All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave. Black Women’s Studies. New York: Feminist P.

Macedo, A. G. (org.) (2002). Género, identidade e desejo. Antologia crítica do feminismo contemporâneo. Lisboa: Cotovia.

Mohanty, C. et al. (1991). Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Bloomington: Indiana UP.

Narayan, U. (1997). Dislocating Cultures. Identities, Traditions and Third World Feminism. London: Routledge.

Oyèrónké O. (2005). African Gender Studies. New York: MacMillan.

Prado, A. (2008). La emergencia del feminismo islámico. Barcelona: oozebap.