GNDR 4020 - Black Feminist Thought

The aims of the course are to critically examine key issues and debates in contemporary Black feminist thought in and outside the U.S. Students will critically engage with the contributions of feminists of African descent/heritage to gender and women’s studies, Africana/Black studies, philosophy, sociology, geographies, and other fields. These womxn, men, queer, trans*, gender fluid, and gender non-conforming scholars, activists and advocates all rely upon the notion that issues of embodiment, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and social class are central to any analysis of our lived experiences. We will explore the historical and everyday obstacles Black womxn face because of the intersections of their embodiment and identities; how they (re)defined themselves and their communities; and identify ways in which they continue to (re)shape knowledge(s) and social justice movements to (re)claim space and time.