Women,Gender,Sexuality Studies 491J - S- Just Economies?

The modern economy is shaped by uneven capitalist development and premised on exploiting colonialized/raced, gendered, sexualized and non-human Others. That is, racial, sexual and environmental violence are at the heart of social relations of production and reproduction, but they are also invisibilized or undervalued under capitalism. Thus, critical analyses of the systemic inequities engendered by colonial/racial capitalism, and imagining just economies is fundamental to abolition and climate justice. A wide range of intellectuals and activists - feminists, post-colonial, transnational, black, queer, decolonial, indigenous and others - are engaged in these tasks. We will engage in close reading of some of their works, particularly the writings of Silvia Federici, Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, Cindi Katz, Ruthie Wilmore, Dean Spade, Donna Haraway, and Gayatri Spivak.

This an advanced level interdisciplinary seminar open to undergraduates and graduates. Everyone learns at their level and pace but should have a solid working knowledge (through course work or self-study) of core concepts of political economy of development, feminism, and social theory.