feminist theory

coordinators:

Pew T. Bose, Women's Studies

Spring 2008

Thursday, April 24, 2:00-3:30 pm, Curtin Hall 939

We will be reading the Introduction and Chapter 1 from Amrit Wilson's new book, Dreams, Questions, Struggles: South Asian Women in Britain (London: Pluto Press, 2006). We expect that Dr. Wilson will join us for the reading and to discuss her work with us.

Copies of the readings will be available with Maria Liesegang at the Center for 21st Century Studies, Curtin 929. Phone: 229-4141. Please email or call ahead.

Thursday, February 28, 2:00.-3:30 pm

We will be reading Chela Sandoval’s article, “Third World Feminism: The Theory and Method of Oppositional Consciousness in the Postmodern World” in Genders 10 (spring, 1991), and Chapter 7: "Revolutionary Force: Connecting Desire to Reality,” from Sandoval's book, Methodology of the Oppressed (2000).

You can contact the workshop coordinator if you have questions, or would like to be placed on our listserv.

The Feminist Theory Research Workshop aims to bring together feminist scholars from across disciplines to read and discuss recent works in feminist theory and to cultivate members' research programs as these relate to feminist theory. Themes that we have explored in recent semesters include: post-feminism, class, and labor; Third Wave feminism; Queer Theory; the history and future of Women's Studies; feminism and pedagogy; gender and professionalization; and feminist perspectives on care and dependency. Recent readings have included excerpts from Judith Halberstam's In a Queer Time and Place (2005) and Astrid Henry's Not My Mother's Sister (2004), as well as papers by Wendy Brown, Eva Feder-Kittay, Sarah Projansky, Joan W. Scott, Michelle Sidler, Audrey Thompson and Andrew Gitlin, Robyn Wiegman, and others. Several participants have also presented their own works-in-progress. In earlier semesters the group focused on themes such as feminism and multiculturalism, transnational feminisms, and feminism and postcoloniality, and read works by Chandra Mohanty, Susan Moller Okin, Seyla Benhabib, and others. In 2006-07 we will continue to read and discuss recent works in feminist theory and works-in-progress by our members.

The workshop meets approximately once a month, with topics and readings chosen in advance by members. The group is currently composed of faculty and graduate students from English, Sociology, Education, History, Political Science, Nursing, Philosophy, Journalism and Mass Communication, Comparative Literature, Anthropology, and Women's Studies. We also have participants from the Women's and LGBT Resource Centers at UWM and from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. We welcome participants from other departments and disciplines. Please contact the coordinators for further details.

Center for 21st Century Studies

Daniel J. Sherman, Director