Overview of Course

This class provides an introduction to the study of women’s role, women’s experiences, and various kinds of women’s activism in society, culture, religion and politics in a globalized setting. Particular attention will be paid to gender issues in the North Africa, Sub Saharan African region, Mauritius and India. The course texts offer insights into a variety of perspectives including Global North/Global South dichotomies, social class, religion, culture, sexuality. The class will offer an overview of theories of feminisms and their applicability to specific cultural contexts. We will explore the construction of gender roles in differing social and cultural and national contexts and explore transnational feminisms and the changing meaning of multi-culturalism. One of the central themes of this course: How and where do I locate myself in an evolving global context?