Feminist Killjoys 2018-2019 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Feminist Killjoys: Theories of Gender and Sexuality
Syllabus for third-year module on feminist and queer theory. Running for the first time in the Department of English at the University of Birmingham in Autumn 2017. Thanks to the many people who offered suggestions and feedback. And, of course, thanks to Sara Ahmed for the title!
Intro to Women and Gender Studies, Hunter College Spring 2015
This course is designed to provide an introductory overview of the histories, debates and political stakes in the study of gender and sexuality. We will examine sex and gender as modes of social organization in which sexed, gendered, and desiring individuals and groups are placed at the intersections of power, privilege, work, reproduction, and the creation of "self" through sexual identity. We will always keep in mind the effects of race, gender, class, economics, public policy, and the political climate on expressions and interpretations of gender and sexuality. Students will be expected to critically and respectfully engage with a variety of materials on human sexualities and develop a working understanding of the modes of study of gender sexuality in order to push back against commonly held, damaging notions on the "nature" of gender and sexuality.
CALL FOR PAPERS: 4th International Conference on Gender Studies, January 2020, Leeds, UK
RATIONALE All recent research on gender demonstrates that patriarchy is alive and well and that both men and women suffer from patriarchal perceptions of expected roles. For example, women still face difficulties and inequality of opportunities for jobs, and when equality is achieved and they enter a certain industry; they face difficulties in being promoted to managerial positions (glass ceiling). On the other hand, men face difficulties in embracing roles traditionally seen as feminine such as staying at home with children or applying for paternal leaves, which are still approved more to women than men. When it comes to gender perceptions the situation becomes even more complicated because if one refuses to identify with the sex assigned at birth and chooses to express gender differently, patriarchy kicks in even stronger and these individuals face not just discrimination in access to employment but also public mocking and in some countries even assaults. It is stating the obvious to say that many countries in the world still ban homosexuality and that LGBT individuals and couples are not just discriminated but also targets of public campaigns to ban them ever having the same rights as heterosexual couples such as marriage and adopting children (before they even asked for these rights), assaults, threats and intimidation, etc. The question we can ask is how far have we got in achieving not just gender equality (for the vast amount of research testifies we have indeed not got far albeit lots of progress has been made), but how far have we got in achieving an understanding of gender? What kind of culture needs to be created to embrace diversity beyond positive laws (that exist only in some countries), but a true diversity where nobody will think they should have the right to question someone’s self-perception and self-expression, and a culture where all genders will be equal? This conference, therefore, invites papers in the following (but not limited to) themes, Definitions of gender Positive practices of gender equality legislation Positive practices of cultural and social understandings of genders Discriminatory practices Feminist studies Women’s studies Masculinity studies LGBT rights Women, LGBT identities and patriarchal society Men, LGBT identities and patriarchal society Transgender identities Discrimination against LGBT and transgender people Gender and Culture Gender activism: case studies Personal stories and biographies Submissions of abstracts (up to 500 words) with an email contact should be sent to Dr Martina Topić (martinahr@gmail.com) by 15 October 2019. Decisions will be sent by 1 November 2019 and registrations are due by 15 December 2019. In case we collect enough abstracts earlier, we will send decisions earlier. The Conference fee is GBP180, and it includes, The registration fee Conference bag and folder with materials Access to the newsletter, and electronic editions of the Centre Opportunity for participating in future activities of the Centre (research & co-editing volumes) Meals and drinks WLAN during the conference Certificate of attendance Centre for Research in Humanities and Social Sciences is a private organisation originally founded in December 2013 in Croatia (EU). Since July 2016 the Centre is registered in Leeds, UK. Participants are responsible for finding funding to cover transportation and accommodation costs during the whole period of the conference. This applies to both presenting and non-presenting participants. The Centre will not discriminate based on the origin and/or methodological/paradigmatic approach of prospective conference participants. Visa Information: The Centre will issue a Visa letter to participants with UK entry clearance requirement. The British Home Office has a very straightforward procedure, which is not excessively lengthy and the Centre will also issue early decisions to participants with Visa requirements.
Journal of International Women's Studies, 2023
Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s conceptualisation of the “feminist killjoy,” this paper explores how young women transitioning from secondary school to higher education grapple with neoliberal notions of desirable vs. undesirable feminisms. This research aims to build on affective research on women’s lives by contextualizing their experiences as a more inclusive practice of becoming. To capture these nuanced and complex subjectivities of young women, I used a post-qualitative methodology, which disturbed the subject/object binary by exploring the affective engagements made between human and non-human matter. The data used was from a study of four Year 13 women (aged 18) who participated in a four-week arts-based workshop. A variety of visual art methods were used, such as painting, collage, and graffiti, which also formed part of a collaborative data analysis. The results showed that the girls felt pressure from family, school, and society to do well, and achieving academic success was the most important factor. However, despite pressures to conform, they all embodied elements of the feminist killjoy which disrupted their relationships with neoliberal notions of happiness. Furthermore, these disruptions led to social blockages, which created an affirmative change in the women’s experiences at university.