Writing during its emergence in the 1970s-1980s, Cherríe Moraga has described women of color feminisms as generating an analytical framework “that makes sense of the seeming paradoxes of our lives.” This course considers what forms of knowledge might be marshalled towards a practice that “makes sense of” the multiple forms of interpersonal and state violence perpetrated against minoritarian subjects.  We will engage with prominent themes in women of color feminist thought, such as the politics of representation, interlocking oppressions, reproductive justice, and strategies of resistance.  We will read theory (as such) and we will read literary texts *as* theory.  As we explore Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian American and Pacific Islander feminisms, we will ask: how do these thinkers push us to imagine new forms of political possibility and broad visions of social justice?  

Some possible authors include: Gloria Anzaldúa, Patricia Hill Collins, Karen Tei Yamashita, Leslie Marmon Silko, Huanani Kay Trask, Sandra Cisneros, Aurora Levins Morales, Audre Lorde, Teresa Hak Kyung Cha, Kai Cheng Thom, Combahee River Collective.  

This course is for everyone! If you’re curious about expanding your understanding of intersectional feminism, you’ll have the chance to explore in this class.  We will also practice our critical thinking and close reading skills with two different types of texts: feminist theory and literature.  Our aim is to build a learning community as we read and think together and to practice skills that will support us throughout our college career. 

Learn more about the instructor of this course: https://english.washington.edu/people/alex-ramos