Social Thought & Polic. Econ 492H - STPEC Focus Seminar II

STPEC 391H Title:
Practical Magic: Femme Vengeance, Healing & Revolution in the Americas

This STPEC seminar will examine the relationships between social movements and various manifestations of otherworldly femme power in the post-colonization Americas. Over the course of the semester, it will wrestle with a core set of questions including:

How have revolutionaries understood the relationship between the spiritual realm and the material conditions that uphold their oppressions? How did the co-emergence of capitalism, Protestantism, and settler colonialism set the stage for the interplay between gender-based oppressions and revolutionary formations in the Americas? What role has femme-centered spirituality, witchcraft, deity worship, ancestor veneration, and radical interpretations of organized religion played within revolutionary movements? In what ways have traditional histories of revolutionary movements excluded or excised the presence/power of the femme divine? In what ways do current secular and coalition-based liberation movements touch into femme-centered spiritual practices in order to provide recognizable sacred spaces for rage, destruction, mourning, celebration, rest, and world building?