feminist anthropology class essay

Topic: feminist anthropology class essay Order Description Choose 2 social actors from the readings. These social actors might be people represented in the ethnography (e.g Zaynab, Diane, Juliette, a young Chinese woman at A&W) OR the ethnographer herself (e.g Abu-lughud, Frank, Wekker, Rofel) How do these social actors provide different models of agency and possibilities for social change? **essay should incorporate at least one key concept from the following: agency globalization sex/gender system liberal (secular) feminism cultural biography mati work positionality diaspora identity race class desire freedom discourse standpoint postmodernism intersectionality reflexivity power ethnography homogeneity personhood subaltern fieldwork sexuality family/kinship binary labor universalism **should also incorporate two of the following readings: Lisa Rofel, “Qualities of Desire: Imagining Gay Identities” and “From Sacrifice to Desire: Cosmopolitanism with Chinese Characteristics,” in Desiring China: Experiments in Neoliberalism, Sexuality, and Public Culture Saba Mahmood: Feminist Theory, Embodiment, and the Docile Agent: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Islamic Revival ?book: do muslim women need saving? by Abu-Lughud book: venus on wheels by Frank book: the politics of passion by Wekker Be as concrete as possible in examples, specify source and page number **might be useful: COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. To examine the historical junctures that have influenced the development of feminist anthropology. 2. To examine how cultural understandings and representations of gender, women, sexuality are produced and destabilized in ethnographic studies. 3. To gain an understanding of ethnographic method in the analysis of gender, culture, and power. 4. To explore the goals of feminist anthropology in relation to questions of social justice, ethical representation, and theories of interpretation. 5. To reflect on our own positions within the politics of knowledge production. 6. To sharpen critical reading, thinking, writing, and discussion skills. 7. To engage in a deep and sustained interdisciplinary conversation about gender, women, and sexuality in a cross-cultural context.