The “f” word — feminism — will serve as the focal point of our exploration of Black women’s literature. Beginning with texts by writers such as Harriet Jacobs, Zora Neale Hurston, Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Morrison, Gayl Jones, and Pearl Cleage, we’ll explore the intersecting roles that race, gender, sexuality, class, and nationality have played throughout U.S. history in shaping how others have defined Black women and how Black women have defined themselves. We’ll situate African American women’s fiction in relation to the development of feminist theory in the U.S., focusing on overlaps and points of tension among various forms of African American and Euro-American feminisms. During the second half of the course, we’ll discuss fiction, essays, and films by women from Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Ghana, paying particular attention to the possibilities and challenges involved in trying to link women’s experiences across national, geographical, and historical divides.
Addressing a wide range of topics — including popular culture, artistic expression, sexuality, violence, economic inequality, imprisonment, and genital circumcision — we’ll explore how literary texts written by Black women can serve as forms of feminist theory by interrogating sources of inequality, and by imagining a world in which all women can lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
Please note: Students must attend the first two class meetings in order to remain in the class.
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