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CURE2022 / UGEC2273

Feminisms: Thoughts and Movements

女權主義︰思想與運動

2018 - 2019 Term 2

Lecture: Thursday 10:30AM – 12:15PM (LHC G04)

Tutorial: Thursday 12:30PM – 1:15PM (LHC G04 & G03)

Lecturer: So (Alison)Yam Wah soyamwah@gmail.com ; alisonyamwahso@cuhk.edu.hk

Tutor: Lee Chi Shing (Nick) nicklcs1111@gmail.com

Medium of Instruction: Cantonese & English

Office Hour: By appointment

Course Description

Women’s movements emerged at the end of 19th century as a response to the enduring

struggles against gender inequality in Western societies. In the 20th century, continuous

dialogues between feminist scholars and activists have provided a fertile ground for

feminism to mature. Feminist thoughts have become more critical and sensible toward

diverse marginalized experiences of women of different ethnicities, social classes,

sexualities, embodiments, cultures and religions. By looking into some critical events of

women’s movement, oral history and testimony of feminists as well as various schools of

feminist thoughts, this course attempts to explore how women’s movements around the

world have allied with different minorities and political groups to strategically and critically

fight for social and gender justice.

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Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students would be able to:

explain the historical context of various schools of feminist thoughts

contextualize the advocacy of different feminist thoughts and movements in

different places and period of time

demonstrate the reflective skills in gender-related issues

critically engage with debates in contemporary and current feminist movement

Course Structure

Week 1 - 4: Historicizing and Theorizing Feminist Thoughts and Movements

Week 5 - 9: Intersecting Contemporary Feminist Thoughts and Movements

Week 10 - 13: G/localizing Feminist Thoughts and Movements

Learning Activity

Lecture, Seminar, Tutorial, Screening

Teaching Schedule

Week Date Lecture

1. 10 Jan Introduction: Deconstructing the “F-Word”: What is Feminism?

2. 17 Jan First-wave: Equal Rights and Women’s Suffrage Movement

3. 24 Jan Second-wave: A Radical Drive

4. 31 Jan Third-wave: Post-structuralism and Intersectionality

7 Feb Lunar New Year (No Class)

5. 14 Feb Hijacking V-Day: Anti-Violence Movement

6. 21 Feb Are We in the Fourth-wave now?: Post-feminism, Body Positivity,

Tumblr Feminism and the #Metoo Movement

7. 28 Feb The Female Body as Battlefield: SlutWalk, Pussy Riots and Femen

8. 7 Mar Bread and Roses: Women’s Labour Movement

9. 14 Mar Who Run the World?: Anthropocene Feminism and Ecofeminism

10. 21 Mar Talking Back to White Feminism: Third World Women and Post-

colonial Discourse

11. 28 Mar ‘That is Not Our experience’: Voices from the Global South

4 Apr Reading Week (No Class)

12. 11 Apr Feminisms in Chinese Context: Hong Kong, Taiwan and

Mainland China

13. 18 Apr Conclusion: Doing Feminisms in the Academy

2 May Term Paper Submission (No Class)

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Week 1 Introduction: Deconstructing the “F-Word”: What is Feminism?

*** Rosalind, Delmar. (2001). What is feminism?. In A. Herrmann & A. Stewart (Eds.),

Theorizing feminism: Parallel trends in the humanities and social sciences (chap. 1, pp.5-28).

Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.

hooks, bell. (2014). Feminism is for everybody. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. (e-book available)

Mann, Susan Archer. (2012). Doing feminist theory. In Doing feminist theory: From modernity

to postmodernity (pp. 1-30). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Week 2 First-wave: Equal Rights and Women’s Suffrage Movement

*** LeGates, Marlene. (2001). Issues in first-wave feminism. In In their time: A history of

feminism in western Society (pp. 237-280). New York: Routledge.

*** Whelehan, Imelda. (1995). Liberal Feminism. In Modern feminist thought: From the second

wave to "post-feminism" (pp. 25-43). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Screening: Suffragette (2015)

Week 3 Second-wave: A Radical Drive

*** Henig, Ruth, & Henig, Simon. (2001). Second wave feminism: The 1970s and early

1980s. In Women and political power: Europe since 1945 (pp. 23-42). London; New York:

Routledge.

*** Whelehan, Imelda. (1995). Radical feminism. In Modern feminist thought: From the second

wave to "post-feminism" (pp. 67-87). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Enke, Anne. (2007). If I can’t dance shirtless, it’s not a revolution: Coffeehouses, clubs,

and the construction of “all women”. In Finding the movement: Sexuality, contested space,

and feminist activism (pp. 217-251). USA: Duke University Press.

Friedan, Betty. (1963). The problem that has no name. In Feminine mystique. New York: W.

W. Norton & Company. (e-book available)

Screening: Feminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018)

Week 4 Third-wave: Post-structuralism and Intersectionality

*** Mann, Susan Archer. (2012). Third wave feminisms. In Doing feminist theory: From

modernity to postmodernity (pp. 256-275). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

*** Stryker, Susan. (2007). Transgender feminism: Queering the women question. In S.

Gillis, G. Howie & R. Munford (Eds.), Third wave feminism: A critical exploration (pp.

59-70). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

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Alcoff, Linda. (1988). Cultural feminism versus post-structuralism: The identity crisis in

feminist theory. Signs, 13(3), 405-436.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé. (1997). Intersectionality and identity politics: Learning from violence

against women of color. In M. Shanley & U. Narayan (Eds.), Reconstructing political

theory: Feminist Perspectives (pp. 178-193). Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University

Press.

Week 5 Hijacking V-Day: Anti-Violence Movement

*** Marcus, Sharon. (1992). Fighting bodies, fighting discourse: A theory and politics of

rape prevention. In J. Butler, & J. Scott (Eds.), Feminists theorize the political (chap. 18,

pp. 385-403). New York and London: Routledge.

Russo, Ann. (2001). If not now, when?: Contemporary feminist movement to end violence

against women. In Taking back our lives: A call to action for the feminist movement (pp. 3-

30). New York: Routledge.

Screening: Until the Violence Stop (2003)

Week 6 Are We in the Fourth-wave now?: Post-feminism, Body

Positivity, Tumblr Feminism and the #Metoo Movement

*** McRobbie, Angela. (2004). Post-feminism and popular culture, Feminist Media

Studies, 4(3), 255-264.

*** Rivers, Nicola. (2017). Between ‘postfeminism(s)’: Announcing the arrival of fourth

wave. & Celebrity feminists: Selling feminism or feminism selling out?. In

Postfeminism(s) and the arrival of the fourth wave (pp. 7-28; 57-77). Cham, Switzerland:

Palgrave Macmillan.

Johnston, Josée, and Taylor, Judith. (2008). Feminist consumerism and fat activists: A

comparative study of grassroots activism and the dove real beauty campaign, Signs,

33(4), 941-966.

Rowe, CJ. (2008). Cyberfeminism in action: Claiming Women’s space in cyberspace. In S.

Grey & M. Sawer (Eds.), Women’s movement: Flourishing or in abeyance? (pp.128-139).

New York: Routledge.

Week 7 The Female Body as Battlefield: SlutWalk, Pussy Riots and

Femen

*** Coole, Diane. (2013). The body and politics. In G. Waylen, G. (Ed.), The Oxford

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handbook of gender and politics (pp. 165-188). Oxford; New York: Oxford University

Press.

Rivers, Nicola. (2017). Femen: Postfeminist playfulness or reinforcing sexualized

stereotypes? In Postfeminism(s) and the arrival of the fourth wave (pp. 79-105). Cham,

Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Teekah, A., Scholz, E., Friedman, M., & O'Reilly, A. (2015). This is what a feminist slut looks

like: Perspectives on the Slutwalk movement. Bradford, ON, Canada: Demeter Press.

Zakiya, Luna. (2010). Marching toward reproductive justice: Coalitional (Re)framing of the

march for women's lives. Sociological Inquiry, 80(4), 554-78.

Screening: Je suis FEMEM (2015)

Week 8 Bread and Roses: Women’s Labour Movement

*** Whelehan, Imelda. (1995). Marxist/Socialist feminism. In Modern feminist thought: From

the second wave to "post-feminism" (pp. 44-66). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Dalla Costa, Mariarosa and James, Selma. (1971). The power of women and the subversion of the

community. Falling Wall Press.

Salaff, Janet. (1981). Working daughters of Hong Kong. New York: Cambridge

University Press.

古學斌、丘延亮（1997）。香港中年女工生命史與僱傭策略初探︰一些問題與啟

示，台灣社會研究季刊，26 期，167–207 頁。

Screening: Bread and Roses (2000)

Week 9 Who Run the World?: Anthropocene Feminism and

Ecofeminism

*** Grusin, Richard. (2017). Introduction: Anthropocene feminism: An experiment in

collaborative theorizing. In Grusin R. (Ed.), Anthropocene feminism (pp. vii-xx).

Minneapolis; London: University of Minnesota Press.

*** Shiva, Vandana. (1988). Development, ecology and women & science, nature and

gender. In Staying alive: Women, ecology and survival in india (pp. 1-36). London: Zed

Books Ltd.

Merchant, Carolyn. (1983). The death of nature: Women, ecology and the scientific revolution. New

York: HarperSanFrancisco.

Screening: Feed the Green: Feminist Voices for the Earth (2015)

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Week 10 Talking Back to White Feminism: Third World Women and

Post-colonial Discourse

*** hooks, bell. (2000). Black women: Shaping feminist theory. In J. James & T. Denean

Sharpley-Whiting (Eds.), The black feminist reader (pp.131-145). Malden, Mass.:

Blackwell Publishers.

*** Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. (2003). Under western eyes: Feminist scholarship and

colonial discourses. In Feminism without borders: Decolonizing theory, practicing solidarity

(pp. 17-42). Durham: Duke University Press.

Narayan, Uma. (1997). Contesting cultures: “westernization,” respect for cultures, and

third world feminist. In Dislocating cultures: Identities, traditions and third world feminisms

(pp. 1-40). New York: Routledge.

hooks, bell. (1989) Talking Back: Thinking black, thinking feminism. Boston: South End.

Wright, Michelle. (2014). Transnational black feminisms, womanisms and queer of color

critiques. In M. Evans, C. Hemmings, M. Henry, H. Johnstone, S. Madhok, A.

Plomien, & S. Wearing (Eds.), The sage handbook of feminist theory (1st edition ed., pp.

327-342). London: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Week 11 ‘That is Not Our experience’: Voices from the Global South

*** Connell, Raewyn. (2015). Meeting at the edge of fear: Theory on a world scale.

Feminist Theory, 16(1), 49-66.

Grewal, Inderap, and Kaplan, Caren. (2001). Global identities: Theorizing transnational

studies of sexuality. GLQ A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 7(4), 663-67.

Morrell, Robert. (2016). Making southern theory? Gender researchers in south

africa. Feminist Theory, 17(2), 191–209.

Reshma Ansari, Richa Singh, Shashi Vaish, Vibha Bajpayee, & Richa Nagar.

(2006). Playing with fire: Feminist thought and activism through seven lives in India.

University of Minnesota Press.

Week 12 Feminism in Chinese Context: Hong Kong, Taiwan and

Mainland China

*** 李靜之（1998）。略談中國女權主義思想發展階段及形成過程的特點。見邱

仁宗等編，中國婦女與中國女性主義思想（頁 114-121）。北京：中國社會

科學出版社。

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*** 梁麗清（2001）。選擇與局限---香港婦運的回顧。見陳錦華等編，差異與平

等：香港婦女運動的新挑戰（頁 7-20）。香港：新婦女協進會、香港理工

大學應用社會科學系社會政策硏究中心。

Lim, Adelyn. (2015). Transnational feminism and women's movements in post-1997 Hong Hong:

Solidarity beyond the state. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. (e-book

available)

顧燕翎（2001）。政治解嚴後的台灣婦女運動。見陳錦華等編，差異與平等：香

港婦女運動的新挑戰（頁 21-50）。香港：新婦女協進會、香港理工大學應

用社會科學系社會政策硏究中心。

Screening: Through Chinese women's eyes (1997)

Week 13 Conclusion: Doing Feminisms in the Academy

*** Spacks, Patricia Meyer. (1981). The difference it makes. In E. Langland & W. Gove,

(Eds.), A feminist perspective in the academy (pp. 7-24). Chicago and London: The

University of Chicago Press.

楊巧玲、張盈堃。（2016）。發聲與行動︰大學教師的學術勞動與性別運動。台

北市︰女書文化。

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Tutorials

Tutorial Groupings

TA: Alison TA: Nick

A1: LHC G04 N1: LHC G03

A2: LHC G04 N2: LHC G03

Tutorial Schedule

A1/N1 A2/N2

T1 17 Jan 12:30-1:15 17 Jan 12:30-1:15

T2 24 Jan 12:30-1:15 31Jan 12:30-1:15

T3 14 Feb 12:30-1:15 21Feb 12:30-1:15

T4 28 Feb 12:30-1:15 7 Mar 12:30-1:15

T5 14 Mar 12:30-1:15 21 Mar 12:30-1:15

T6 28 Mar 12:30-1:15 11 Apr 12:30-1:15

T7 *18 Apr 11:30-12:15 18 Apr 12:30-1:15

Tutorial Readings

T1 Housekeeping

T2 Friedan, Betty. (1963). Ch.1 The problem that has no name & Ch.3 The

crisis in woman's identity. The Feminine Mystique.

T3 Marcus, Sharon. (1992). Ch.18. Fighting bodies, fighting discourse: A

theory and politics of rape prevention. Feminists theorize the political.

T4 Coole, Diane. (2013). The body and politics. The Oxford handbook of gender

and politics.

T5 Merchant, Carolyn. (1983). Introduction & Ch.1 Women as nature. The

death of nature: Women, ecology and the scientific revolution.

T6

Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. (2003). Under Western Eyes: Feminist

Scholarship and Colonial Discourses Feminism without borders: Decolonizing

theory, practicing solidarity.

T7 Spacks, Patricia Meyer. (1981). The Difference It Makes. A feminist

perspective in the academy

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Assessment Requirement

Tutorial

Discussion

(20%)

Attendance is compulsory

Students are required to participate actively in the tutorial

discussion, read assigned readings, and contribute to the

learning community.

Tutorial

Presentation

(30%)

Group Presentation: < 15 minutes

Critically analyze the assigned reading and lead discussion

Term Paper

(50%)

Deadline: 2nd May, 2019 (Thu) 5:00pm

Word Limits: Max. 3500 (Chinese), 2500 (English)

* Submit to VeriGuide in MS. Words doc./docx format only

* One letter grade will be lowered per day delay

Grade Descriptor

A Outstanding performance on all learning outcomes.

A- Generally outstanding performance on all (or almost all) learning

outcomes.

B

Substantial performance on all learning outcomes, OR high performance

on some learning outcomes which compensates for less satisfactory

performance on others, resulting in overall substantial performance.

C

Satisfactory performance on the majority of learning outcomes, possibly

with a few weaknesses.

D Barely satisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes

F Unsatisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes, OR

failure to meet specified assessment requirements.

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/

With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures. For group projects, all students of the same group should be asked to sign the declaration. For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally textbased and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the system upon students’ uploading of the soft copy of the assignment. Assignments without the receipt will not be graded by teachers. Only the final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide.