Intersectionality: critical perspectives on Inequality and Power (GEN560)

During the course we will acquire knowledge of how intersectionality emerges from Black feminist theory and critical race studies. During the course we will investigate how intersectional thinking from the onset sought to interrupt universal understandings of womanhood and to problematize the dominance of whiteness within feminist activism and scholarship.  The concept of intersectionality will help us to intelligently engage with and assess an array of social and political themes, such as racism, sexism, legacies of colonialism, slavery, Indigenous displacement and resistance, transphobia, homophobia, reproductive justice, economic exploitation, identity, and national belonging. Readings will draw our attention to a number of national contexts, including the Nordic region. In this way, intersectionality will guide our understandings of how systemic inequities are methodically maintained and actively disputed across a variety of social and political demographics. The course is relevant for students who are interested in both gaining a strong grasp of how structures of oppression operate and investigating mechanisms for social change by using the theoretical and analytical lens made available through intersectionality. 

Knowledge: 

• Students should acquire knowledge about intersectionality as a theoretical and analytical framework. 
• Students should acquire knowledge of how multiple axes of social division such as gender, race, sexuality, age, class, intersect and how these may be articulated and discussed in complex ways. 
• Students should acquire knowledge of contemporary debates around intersectionality and how the concept is used to present social critique and to promote social change. 

Skills: 

• Students should be able to analyze and critically discuss intersectionality as a theoretical framework. 
• Students should be able to analyze inequality as the effect of multiple axes of social division through an intersectional lens. 
• Students should be able to comprehensively discuss the politics of domination, power, and social inequity, in addition to being able to assess the ways an intersectional framework can be employed in endeavours for social change. 

Competences: 

• After completing the course, students are expected to be familiar with core texts in intersectionality. 
• After completing the course, students are expected to have acquired theoretical knowledge about social inequity and systemic oppression and be able to use intersectionality as an analytical perspective for evaluating inequity. 
• After completing the course, students are expected to be able to apply intersectional perspectives to the ways they reflect upon the organization of power and privilege as it relates to social, political, and cultural events as well as their everyday lives. 

Completed bachelor-degree

Mid-term essay and group presentation, One activity, one written essay and one group presentation, Two compulsory assignments

The course requires active participation, and students will have to submit two written assignments during the semester and participate in one activity.  Students will have to pass this 3-part compulsory assignment in order to qualify for the final exam. The language for the coursework is English. 

Fagperson(er)

Course coordinator:

Lene Myong

The course consists of weekly sessions. These sessions will include lectures, seminars, group work and individual work adapted to different modes of study. All students are expected to read the syllabus and participate in group discussions and thereby develop analytic reflections in a productive environment with fellow students. This will be done on and off campus and the course coordinator will facilitate a digital learning platform (Canvas). The working language for this course is English. 

 The literature for this course consist of a collection of articles and books made available in Leganto. Information about the article collection can be found on Canvas before the start of the course. Any changes to the curriculum will be announced on Canvas before the start of the course 

This course can be taken as a part of the Minor in Gender Studies (30ECTS)

Student evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the UiS system for Quality in Education. 

Article

Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Anti-Discrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Anti- Racist Politics Crenshaw, Kimberlé., University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1, https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclfView online

Book

Black feminist thought : knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment Collins, Patricia Hill, New York, Routledge, XVI, 335 s., 2000, isbn:0415924847; 0415924839, READ: Chapter 4 “Mammies, Matriarchs and Other Controlling Images” pages 69-96

Book Chapter

Crooked Room Harris-Perry, Melissa V., Crooked Room, New Haven :, Yale University Press, 1 online resource (288 pages), c2011., 28-50, isbn:1-283-27985-1; 9786613279859; 0-300-16554-4, Pages 28-50

Article

A Black Feminist Statement The Combahee River Collective, Women's Studies Quarterly, 3/4, 42, 2014, 271-280,

Article

Racism and Women's Studies Barbara Smith, Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 1, 5, 1980, 48-49,

Article

The Bridge Poem Donna Kate Rushin, Les cahiers du CEDREF, 18, 2011, 41-44,

Book Chapter

The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House Audre Lorde (1934-1992), The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House, Freedom, Ca, Crossing Press, 190, 1984, isbn:0895941422,

Other

Ain’t I a Woman? (Speech delivered at 1851 Women's Rights Convention, Akron, Ohio.) Truth, Sojourner, 1851,

Book

Women, race & class Angela Y. Davis (1944-), New York, Random House, 271, 1981, isbn:0394510399, READ: Chapter 1 “The Legacy of Slavery: Standards for a New Womanhood” pages 3-29

Article

The Belly of the World: A Note on Black Women’s Labors Hartman, Saidiya, Souls, 1, 18, 166-173,

Other

One Year of #MeToo: The Legacy of Black Women’s Testimonies Hobbs, Allyson, The New Yorker, October 10 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/one-year-of-metoo-the-legacy-of-black-womens-testimonies

Article

Me Too? Race, Gender, and Ending Workplace Sexual Harassment Jones, Trina and Emma E Wade, Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy, 1, 27, 203-225,

Newspaper Article

#MeToo Founder Tarana Burke: ‘You Have to Use Your Privilege to Serve Other People Brockes, Emma, The Guardian, January 15 2018, www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/15/me-too-founder-tarana-burke-women-sexual-assault

Book Chapter

Let’s Play: Exploring Cinematic Black Lesbian Fantasy, Pleasure, and Pain Declue, Jennifer, Johnson, E. Patrick,, Let’s Play: Exploring Cinematic Black Lesbian Fantasy, Pleasure, and Pain, Durham :, Duke University Press, 1 online resource (439 pages) :, 2016., 216-238, isbn:0-8223-7371-8,

Book Chapter

Pleasurable Blackness Nash, Jennifer C., Allen, Louisa.; Rasmussen, Mary Lou., Pleasurable Blackness, London :, Palgrave Macmillan UK ; Imprint Palgrave Macmillan, 1 online resource (XXXI, 720 p. 22 illus.), 2017., 261-272, isbn:1-78684-684-5; 1-137-40033-1,

Book Chapter

Fuck You, Pay Me: The Pleasures of Sex Work Gallant, Chanelle, Chanelle Gallant ", Fuck You, Pay Me: The Pleasures of Sex Work, AK Press, 2019, 74-78, isbn:9781849353267,

Article

Unvictimizable: Toward a Fat Black Disability Studies Mollow, Anna, African American Review, 2, 50, 2017, 105-121,

Book

Hunger : a memoir of (my) body Gay, Roxane,, London :, Corsair, 1 volume ;, 2018., isbn:9781472153791 (pbk.) :, *Chapter excerpts on Canvas

Article

Nothing less than perfect: female celebrity, ageing and hyper-scrutiny in the gossip industry Kirsty Fairclough, Celebrity Studies, 1, 3, 2012, 90-103,

Book Chapter

“Introduction: On the Problems and Possibilities of European Black Feminism and Afrofeminism Akwugo Emejulu and Francis Sobande, Akwugo Emejulu and Francesca Sobande, “Introduction: On the Problems and Possibilities of European Black Feminism and Afrofeminism, 3-9, isbn:9780745339474,

Book Chapter

At the Margins of Institutional Whiteness: Black Women in Danish Academia Oda-Kange Midtvåge-Diallo, Oda-Kange Midtvåge Diallo, At the Margins of Institutional Whiteness: Black Women in Danish Academia, isbn:9780745339474,

Article

Before and after: terror, extremism and the not-so-new Norway McIntosh, Laurie., African and Black Diaspora: An International Journal, 1, 7, 70-80,

Article

Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: A Political Perspective on Culture and Terrorism Mahmood Mamdani, Oxford, UK, American Anthropological Association, 766-775, American Anthropologist, 3, 104, 2002-09-01, 766-775, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-06-29T11:17:27IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-proqu&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Good%20Muslim,%20Bad%20Muslim:%20A%20Political%20Perspective%20on%20Culture%20and%20Terrorism&rft.jtitle=American%20Anthropologist&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Mamdani&rft.auinit=&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Mahmood%20Mamdani&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2002-09-01&rft.volume=104&rft.issue=3&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=766&rft.epage=775&rft.pages=766-775&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=0002-7294&rft.eissn=1548-1433&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=AMATA7&rft_id=info:doi/10.1525/aa.2002.104.3.766&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=American%20Anthropological%20Association&rft.place=Oxford,%20UK&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3cproqu%3e3567254%3c/proqu%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=10.16.56.125&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=198217646&rft_galeid=&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Article

Imperilled Muslim Women, Dangerous Muslim Men and Civilised Europeans: Legal and Social Responses to Forced Marriages Razack, Sherene H, Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 129-174, Feminist Legal Studies, 2, 12, 2004-10, 129-174, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-06-29T11:17:08IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-gale_&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Imperilled%20Muslim%20Women,%20Dangerous%20Muslim%20Men%20and%20Civilised%20Europeans:%20Legal%20and%20Social%20Responses%20to%20Forced%20Marriages&rft.jtitle=Feminist%20Legal%20Studies&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Razack&rft.auinit=&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=H&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Razack,%20Sherene%20H&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2004-10&rft.volume=12&rft.issue=2&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=129&rft.epage=174&rft.pages=129-174&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=0966-3622&rft.eissn=1572-8455&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/10.1023/B:FEST.0000043305.66172.92&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=Kluwer%20Academic%20Publishers&rft.place=Dordrecht&rft.series=&rft.stitle=Feminist%20Legal%20Studies&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3cgale_%3e2004_10691_12_2_5379245%3c/gale_%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=158.38.234.42&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=&rft_galeid=&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Article

Saving Brown Women miriam cooke, The University of Chicago Press, 468-470, Signs, 1, 28, 2002-09, 468-470, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-06-29T11:16:47IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-gale_&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Saving%20Brown%20Women&rft.jtitle=Signs&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=cooke&rft.auinit=&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=miriam%20cooke&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2002-09&rft.volume=28&rft.issue=1&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=468&rft.epage=470&rft.pages=468-470&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=0097-9740&rft.eissn=1545-6943&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/10.1086/340888&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=The%20University%20of%20Chicago%20Press&rft.place=&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3cgale_%3eA94764200%3c/gale_%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=10.16.56.125&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=&rft_galeid=&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Book

Ngapartji Ngapartji : ego-histoire, Europe and indigenous Australia Castejon, Vanessa ; Cole, Anne ; Haag, Oliver, Pascoe, Bruce,; Castejon, Vanessa,; Castejon, Vanessa,, Canberra, Australia :, Australian National University Press, 1 online resource (xvi, 296 pages) :, ©2014; 2014., isbn:1925021734; 9781925021738, READ: “Lands of Fire and Ice: From Hi-Story to History in the Lands of Fire and Ice—Our Stories and Embodiment as Indigenous in a Colonised Hemisphere” By Öhman, May-Britt & Frances Wyld. pages 241-257 https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt13wwvhn?pq-origsite=summonView online

Article

Idle No More and Black Lives Matter: An Exchange Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake, Rinaldo Walcott, and Glen Coulthard, Studies in Social Justice, 1, 12, 75-89,

Article

Re-imagining a Queer Indigenous Past: Affective Archives and Minor Gestures in the Sámi Documentary Sparrooabbán Kyrölä, Katarina and Tuija Huuki, JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 5, 60, 2021, 75-98,

Book Chapter

INDIGENOUS QUEER NORMATIVITY Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake, Book Author(s): LEANNE BETASAMOSAKE SIMPSON, INDIGENOUS QUEER NORMATIVITY, University of Minnesota Press, 119-144, isbn:ISBN: 978-1-4529-5600-8,

Newspaper Article

On the Death of Sandra Bland and Our Vulnerable Bodies Gay, Roxanne, The New York Times, July 24 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/25/opinion/on-the-death-of-sandra-bland-and-our-vulnerable-bodies.html?smid=url-share

Book Chapter

We Want More Justice for Breonna Taylor than the System That Killed Her Can Deliver Ritchie, Andrea and Mariame Kaba, with Andrea J. Ritchie, We Want More Justice for Breonna Taylor than the System That Killed Her Can Deliver, Haymarket Books, 2021, 51-52, isbn:978-1-64259-526-0,

Book Chapter

So You’re Thinking about Becoming an Abolitionist Mariame Kaba, So You’re Thinking about Becoming an Abolitionist, Haymarket Books, 19-20, isbn:978-1-64259-526-0,

Book Chapter

Confessions of a Black Pregnant Dad Wares, Syrus Marcus, Syrus Marcus Ware, Julia Chinyere Oparah (editor.), Confessions of a Black Pregnant Dad, London, England ;, Routledge, 2016, 63-71, isbn:1315640503, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-06-29T11:21:37IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-BIBSYS_ILS&req_id=&rft_dat=ie=47BIBSYS_UBO:51244347090002204,ie=47BIBSYS_BREDK:5114236160002261,ie=47BIBSYS_NETWORK:71559583050002201,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&u.ignore_date_coverage=true&user_ip=10.16.56.125&req.skin=primoView online

Book Chapter

Fugitive Flesh: Gender Self-Determination, Queer Abolition, and Trans Resistance Eric A. Stanley, Fugitive Flesh: Gender Self-Determination, Queer Abolition, and Trans Resistance, 6-10, isbn:9781849352345,

Book Chapter

Trans Identity as Embodied Afrofuturism Johnson, Amber, Luckett, Sharrell D.,, Trans Identity as Embodied Afrofuturism, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania :, Bucknell University Press, 1 online resource (xiii, 323 pages) :, [2020], 15-28, isbn:1-68448-156-2,

Newspaper Article

Black Trans Women Seek More Space in the Movement They Helped Start Paz, Isabella Grullón and Maggie Astor, The New York Times, June 27 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/us/politics/black-trans-lives-matter.html?searchResultPosition=1

The course description is retrieved from FS (Felles studentsystem). Version 1