Contents
OVERVIEW FOR THIS WEEK
This week, we will look at different dimensions of gendered violence, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, criminalization and police violence. Some of the materials for this week do contain representations or descriptions of these forms of violence so please take good care of yourself as you read/watch.
I did not record a video or make slides this week– instead, you will find some information and questions for each reading/film below.
One note: below I am using the term “victim-survivor” to refer to people who have experienced gendered violence. There are many different viewpoints about what language to use + I am happy to share more about these debates and why I have chosen to use this term here.
WATCH [required]
We are going to start this week with a video of a Ted Talk by Kimberle Crenshaw, a Black feminist legal scholar who is often credited with coining the term “intersectionality.” Her first use of this term was now many decades ago (1989, to be exact), and in this talk, Crenshaw discusses why we must understand and work from this framework if we want to end gender-based violence and discrimination.
WATCH or LISTEN: Crenshaw, “The Urgency of Intersectionality” (18:40)-and, you can also read the transcript below the video.
WATCH [PICK ONE (or both!)]
Please select one of two documentaries to watch this week– both are available on the Kanopy database, which you can access through the BMCC Library. Remember, you need a login, but it is very quick to set up.
- Anita: Speaking Truth to Power (2013) (77 minutes): This film tells the story of Anita Hill, who accused her boss — Clarence Thomas, a then-nominee to the Supreme Court– of sexual harassment.
- Out in the Night (2014) (77 minutes): This film follows the story of 4 young Black lesbians who experience sexual harassment on the street. When they act in self-defense, they are arrested, charged, and incarcerated.
As you watch either (or both) of these films, please consider the following questions:
- What forms of gendered violence are represented in this film? What do we learn about this violence and its impacts?
- What do the victim-survivors say about their experience and how are their stories received– by their family/friends/colleagues, the legal system, the media?
- Using Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality, what do you see as the the role of racism, or other structures of oppression like homophobia, in these stories of misogynistic violence?
READ
Read: Critical Resistance + Incite Statement
In 2001, INCITE!, a network of radical feminists of color organizing to end state violence and violence in our homes and communities, collaborated with Critical Resistance, an organization dedicated to prison abolition, to write a joint statement: “Statement on Gender Violence and the Prison Industrial Complex.”
This statement takes a position that criminalization — policing, prosecution, prisons– is NOT the solution to domestic violence and sexual assault. And, at the same time, it says that we need to then BUILD solutions that keep us safe without using the police.
As you read the statement, ask:
- Why do they believe that prisons are not the solution for gendered violence?
- What are the limits of the anti-prison movement’s work to address gendered violence?
- What are the solutions that they propose?
- Who signed on to this statement? What types of organizations or groups?
DISCUSSION BOARD #10 (DUE 4/19)
For this week’s discussion board, please respond to any (or all) of these questions:
- What do INCITE/Critical Resistance say about why prisons are not the solution for gendered violence? Based on Crenshaw’s talk and (if you watched it), Out in the Night– what evidence can you offer to support their argument?
- Based on the film(s) you watched, using Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality, what do you see as the the role of racism, or other structures of oppression like homophobia, in these stories of misogynistic violence?
- Based on the film(s) you watched, what do the victim-survivors say about their experience and how are their stories received– by their family/friends/colleagues, the legal system, the media?
- What questions do YOU want to bring to class for discussion?
FINAL PROJECT TO-DOS + Deadlines
- FINAL PROJECT DRAFT DUE NO LATER THAN APRIL 27
- You will turn in a draft of your project for feedback to me.
- In addition to your draft, I ask you to write me a short letter in which you share your own assessment of your work:
- What are your goals?
- What do you think is working well in your project?
- Where do you feel you need support or improvement?
- You can post your draft on Open Lab and select “DRAFT” as your category. It can be a private post. Your letter can be in the post or you can add it as a comment.
- I will hold open writing time for anyone who wants to come and work on their projects. I will bring writing prompts if you need and will be available to answer questions– but mostly, we will just sit together and write. Tuesday and Thursday 12:00-1:30 PM, Zoom link here
- If you have not done so: sign up for a class presentation ASAP here
- The instructions for the project are here.
