Author: Soniya Munshi

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

OVERVIEW for this week

Please watch this video (13 minutes!) for an overview/context for this week’s materials. If you want to access the slides directly, you can find them here

READ

beyondmarriage.org, “Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision for All Our Families and Relationships“

Das Gupta, “‘Don’t Deport our Daddies: Gendering State Deportation Practices and Immigrant Organizing”  Read the section on “Caregiving Dads” (pages 92-98) + if you can, the beginning (pages 84-89) (and, of course, you are encouraged to read the whole article.)

WATCH

Paris is Burning (film, on Kanopy) (78 minutes): KANOPY is available on the BMCC Library’s Databases page here

Kanopy is amazing and I hope you browse the available films for your own viewing! You do need a log in but it takes 1 minute to set that up. Sometimes, I have a hard time opening Kanopy so I try a different browser and that always helps.

DISCUSSION BOARD #9 (DUE 4/12)

Instructions/How to post here

How do feminist and queer interventions challenge ideas of the “nuclear family?” What do they say are the limits? What other visions do we see for the ways that families can be formed? What are your thoughts about family structure and what these interventions offer us?

Please title your post: First Name Last Name: DB 9 and select “DB 9” as the category for your post.

FINAL PROJECT DRAFT due by 4/27

The draft for your project can be turned in ANYTIME but the absolute FINAL deadline is April 27. The sooner you give me a draft, the more time you will have to work on your revisions. You can turn the draft in as a post (just pick “Draft” as your category) — and you can also link to a googledoc or googleslide in your post. If you need to turn it in another way, just let me know ahead of time.

When you submit 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? 

FInal Project to-Dos

• The instructions are here.
• If you have not submitted your proposal, please do so as soon as possible. 
  • • You can write your proposal as a post on our course site and select “PROPOSAL” as your category. You can make it private. Either way, my feedback to you will be private.
• If you have not done so: sign up for a meeting with me ASAP here
• If you have not done so: sign up for a class presentation ASAP here