Sylabus
Course schedule and mandatory readings
Week 1 (February 13, 2023) Introduction
No mandatory readings.
Week 2 (February 20, 2023) Private/public divide
Okin, S. M. (1982). Women and the making of the sentimental family. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 11(1), 65-88. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2265043
Week 3 (February 27, 2023) Feminist democratic theory
Dietz, M. (2002). Turning operations : feminism, Arendt, and politics. Routledge. Chapter 1: Context is all : reconsidering feminism and citizenship, pp. 21 – 42.
Week 4 (March 6, 2023) Democratic representation
Phillips, A. (1998). Democracy and representation : or, why should it matter who our representatives are? In A. Phillips (Ed.), Feminism and politics (pp. 224 – 240). Oxford University Press.
Week 5 (March 13, 2023) Democratic argumentation
Norval, A. J. (2007). Aversive democracy : inheritance and originality in the democratic tradition. Cambridge University Press. Chapter 2: Democratic argumentation: rhetoric and imagination, pp. 56 – 104.
March 13, 2023 in class Reaction paper topics assigned
March 19, 2023 23:59 Reaction paper deadline
Week 6 (March 20, 2023) Choice feminism and depoliticization
Ferguson, M. L. (2010). Choice feminism and the fear of politics. Perspectives on Politics, 8(1), 247-253. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1537592709992830
March 26, 2023 23:59 Reaction paper – deadline for peer feedback
Week 7 (March 27, 2023) Anti-gender movements and the crisis of liberal democracy
Kováts, E. (2017). The emergence of powerful anti-gender movements in Europe and the crisis of liberal democracy. In M. Köttig, R. Bitzan, & A. Petö (Eds.), Gender and far right politics in Europe (pp. 175-189). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43533-6_12
Week 8 (April 3, 2023) Anti-gender movements and the crisis of liberal democracy – contd.
We will discuss case studies from our respective countries. Please, pick an article you would like to read from the recommended literature.
Week 9 (April 10, 2023) Easter Monday
Week 10 (April 17, 2023) Violence and self-defense
Dorlin, E. (2022). Self-defense : a philosophy of violence. Verso. Chapter: Reprisals, location 2552 – 2968.
Week 11 (April 24, 2023) Democracy in the political present
Lorey, I. (2022). Democracy in the political present : a queer-feminist theory. Verso. Introduction, pp. 50 – 277, Chapter 6: Presentist democracy, location 2239 – 2748.
Week 12 (May 1, 2023) Labor Day
Week 13 (May 8, 2023) Victory Day
May 14, 2023 23:59 Final research paper – abstract submission deadline
Week 14 (May 15, 2023) Feminist strike and feminist internationalism
Gago, V. (2020). Feminist International : how to change everything (L. Mason-Deeze, Trans.). London & New York: Verso. Chapter 1: #WeStrike : toward a political theory of the feminist strike, pp. 9 – 56; Chapter 6: The Feminist International, pp. 181 – 210.
May 20, 2023 23:59 Final research paper – deadline for peer-feedback on abstracts
Syllabus can be subject to change during the semester.
Anotace
The course covers three major topics of feminist political-theoretical thinking: the feminist challenge of foundational categories (public/private, state), democracy, and the state of feminist movements and political action today. Besides explaining the most important strands of feminist political theorizing in the past 30 years, the course aims at critical understanding of recent happenings and their theoretical redescription.
The course is taught seminar-style, i.e. it consists mainly of the discussion of assigned readings and other materials. Formal lecturing will be kept to a minimum.