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Global Histories of Feminism

Overview

Module description

Feminism has a long, complicated and global history. In this module we examine the many different forms that feminism has taken in the past.

We will explore the powerful social and cultural forces that shaped feminism across the North Atlantic world, as well as the role of feminism in socialist, communist, decolonial and independence movements in East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America. We will examine the impact feminism has had in different times and places, and the links between feminism in the present and feminism in the past. Engaging critically with feminism’s rich archival record, we will explore the debates and campaigns that still resonate and challenge us in the world today.

Indicative syllabus

  • Introduction: What is feminism and how might we approach its history?
  • North Atlantic world feminisms in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
  • Socialist feminisms in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
  • Second wave feminism in the UK and US
  • Chinese feminisms in the twentieth century
  • North American indigenous feminisms
  • African feminisms
  • Work and feminism in modern East Asia
  • Latin American feminism
  • Feminist pasts and presents

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • better understand the plural and global nature of feminisms, and the challenges of defining it across time and space
  • critically discuss the history of feminisms as intellectual and social movements
  • critically deploy this history to contextualise and better comprehend feminist debates and campaigns in the present
  • understand the differences and similarities between feminist movements in different parts of the world
  • understand specific feminist histories through case studies
  • critically apply key theories in the study of feminism, gender and women.