Gender, Sexuality Feminist Studies
Revaluing Care in the Times of Covid-19 Series On July 18, Jessica Covil moderated a panel over Zoom called “Defunding the Police: Confronting Anti-Blackness, Centering the Margins.” This seminar gathered to discuss the role of anti-blackness in the U.S. policing system, and the need to protect society’s most marginalized populations by defunding the police as a form of redistributive justice and communal care. When Covil began organizing this panel with the help of fellow graduate students Tania Rispoli and Yanping… read more about Defunding the Police »
The Duke Technology Scholars community is broad, strong, resilient—and growing every year New city, familiar community Alanna Robinson was moving to Seattle in just ten days to start a full-time job as a software engineer at Zulily, but she still didn’t have a place to live, she confessed to Maddie Nelson and Robin Lorenzini, two fellow Duke alumnae, on a recent Zoom call. Lorenzini piped up immediately. “I know of a room in Capitol Hill,” she said. “I can get an air mattress over there… read more about Building a Network to Last »
Priscilla Wald, R. Florence Brinkley Distinguished Professor of English, was interviewed for a WalletHub article about how to close the gender pay gap, what policies will have the most impact and how to increase female representation in leadership at large companies. read more about 2020’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality »
In fields where collaboration is rare, project teams provide opportunities to work with others towards a common goal, develop transferable skills and make connections with people outside of your department. read more about Reflections from GSF Certificate graduate, Liz Crisenbery as Bass Connections Project Manager »
Gabriel Rosenberg, associate professor of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, discusses the important role fast food chains could play in transforming the food system. Read the article at Wired. read more about Burgers Won't Save the Planet—but Fast Food Might »
For many, the past decade has created new awareness of gender and sexual politics. North Carolina’s HB2 was just one of the many flashpoints that spurred a movement. And it wasn’t just happening in this country. “This is a time when there’s been a lot more attention to transgender rights and transgender activism, both in the U.S. and, pretty famously, outside of the U.S.,” said Jocelyn Olcott, a professor of History and chair of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies (GSF). There have also been ongoing battles over… read more about New Major Offers Global Perspective on Gender »
Gabriel N. Rosenberg's latest article, in the publication Wired. Fast food joints are cheap, convenient, and widely available. And if they swapped out beef for alternative proteins, they could transform the food system. ONE DAY, WE’LL tell our grandkids about the Great Burger Wars. Scientists dueling social conservatives, foodies brawling with tech entrepreneurs, vegans sniping at vegans—burgers are a window on the charged politics of climate change. And low-methane cows, Impossible Whoppers,… read more about Burgers Won't Save the Planet-but Fast Food Might »
Our courses challenge students to think critically about questions surrounding gender, sexuality and issues impacting women. And for Fall 2020, we will feature a broad range of courses focusing on topics such as women in the political process and at work, LGBTQ issues and sexuality nature vs. nurture debates, race and transnational feminism, and more. Below are just a sampling of our offerings for this fall. Selected Spotlighted Courses GSF 199S.01: Thinking Gender… read more about Spotlighted Fall 2020 Classes »
GSF Alumni. Anna Homayoun, updated her Washington Post article from July 21st to be seen in The Spokesman-Review Aug. 2nd edition. Recent incidents of police violence and protests highlighting systemic racism, social inequality and police brutality have caused many teens – and adults – already overwhelmed by the continuing pandemic to feel increasingly anxious and concerned. The past few months have been exhausting for so many of us. It can be easy for young people navigating so many layers of… read more about 5 ways to help teens feel seen and heard in an uncertain time »
Revaluing Care in the Times of Covid-19 Series In addition to changing how we interact with each other, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the flaws in the United States childcare system. As daycares are forced to close and waves of layoffs in women-dominated fields continue, the funding problem within the childcare system has turned into a full-blown crisis. With reopening plans rolling out slowly in the next months, childcare providers are still in left limbo and many moms are still burdened with the primary care… read more about The COVID-19 Childcare Crisis »
Zadaiah Roye is a Duke Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies Major and Duke Stanback Fellow at the Population Institute, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. that supports reproductive health and rights The U.S. Supreme Court decision on Monday to strike down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law in June Medical Services v. Russo is a major win for reproductive rights in the United States. If the law had been upheld, it would have severely diminished access to abortion services in… read more about Opinion: Why Black American women literally cannot breathe »
“I Have Ambition”: Muhammad Ramadan's Proletarian Masculinities in Postrevolution Egyptian Cinema Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, Associate Professor Frances Hasso's latest article published by Cambridge University Press, via the Cambridge Core platform, International Journal of Middle East Studies on policing, masculinity, class and Egyptian film. Click here for full article. read more about Frances Hasso's latest article published in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Cambridge Core »
The faculty and staff of the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Program are outraged by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, alongside countless other victims of anti-black police and vigilante violence. We stand in solidarity with those who protest anti-black violence, systemic racism, and white supremacy, and who gather together to demand freedom, justice, and self-determination for all peoples. We condemn the violent and lawless response of the police to those protestors.… read more about GSF Statement in Support of Black Lives Matter »
There has been a dramatic shift in the public’s perception of care workers as a result of the coronavirus crisis, with most people believing they should be better paid and better valued, according to a survey. The poll, which was published on Tuesday by the gender equality campaigning charity the Fawcett Society, found 65% of respondents supported an increase in income tax to fund a pay rise for care workers, a figure that rose to 68% among Conservative voters polled. Sam Smethers, the charity’s chief executive, said… read more about Care Workers Should Be Better Paid and Valued after Covid-19-poll »
We are delighted to celebrate the Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies majors, minors and graduate students who have completed their studies this year. Department Chair Jocelyn Olcott shared the following message with 2020 graduates. Our Majors Saumya Sao Second Major in Global Health Senior Story During my sophomore fall semester at Duke, kind of on a whim, I took my first Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies class. A… read more about We're Proud of You GSF Graduates! »
Congratulations to our Graduating Honors Thesis Students: Amelia Windemuth GSF First Major (Second Major: Global Health) Thesis Title: Fetuses for Likes: An Analysis of the Contemporary Uses of Fetal Imagery by American Anti-Choice Extremists Online Abstract: This thesis engages critically with the historical and contemporary uses of fetal imagery to explore how it has been leveraged by American anti-choice extremists on social media to promote notions of fetal personhood. I develop an… read more about Congratulations to our Honors Thesis Senior Graduates! »
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies… read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »
Cole Rizki, who recently earned his Ph.D. in literature, has been selected for a William J. Griffith University Service Award for his leadership and advocacy on LGBTQ issues. The Griffith Award is presented annually to a select number of graduating students whose service and contributions to the Duke and larger communities have significantly influenced University life. Recipients are recognized for effective university, communal, and global citizenship. Rizki will be an assistant professor of Latin American Studies at the… read more about Duke Honors Cole Rizki Literature Ph.D. and GSF Feminist Studies Certificate Graduate for LGBTQ Advocacy »
Jacqueline Mercier Allain is a PhD candidate in the Department of History and Program in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at Duke University, has published an article titled, "‘They are Quiet Women Now’: Hair cropping, British Imperial Governance, and the Gendered Body in the Archive". Blurb: The punishment of hair-cropping for use on female prisoners was the subject of considerable disagreement in the British Caribbean during the post-emancipation era. The robust debate over hair cropping furnishes a… read more about Jacqueline Allain, PhD Candidate and GSF Certificate Student, Publishes Article »
Gabriel Rosenberg, associate professor of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, makes a historical argument for why the U.S. needs policies that encourage people to stay home. Read more at the Washington Post. (Photo by Nam Y. Huh/AP) read more about The Government Must Pay People to Stay Home »
Bold thinking is an essential part of Duke’s approach to scholarship, and three ongoing projects show the unexpected results. Adriane Lentz-Smith, Gabriel Rosenberg, and Aarthi Vadde have been named 2020–21 National Humanities Center Fellows. They will spend a year away from their regular teaching duties as resident scholars at the Research Triangle Park–based center, researching and writing new books. Chosen from 673 applicants, they join 30 other humanists from the U.S. and four foreign countries working in 18 different… read more about The Police State, Livestock Breeding and Web 2.0: Research by 3 Duke Professors »
Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 29 faculty members from eight Duke colleges and schools. While the annual University Distinguished Professors dinner will be postponed until social gathering restrictions are lifted, Provost Sally Kornbluth is ready to congratulate this year’s recipients now. “I am thrilled to honor this wonderful cohort of scholars, teachers, and members of the Duke community,” Kornbluth said. “Becoming a distinguished professor at Duke is a great achievement, and one that is… read more about Duke Awards 29 University Distinguished Professorships »
Congratulations to Professor Gabriel Rosenberg for his accomplishment as the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences Robert B. Cox Awardee for Undergraduate Teaching! From colleagues: “Exceptionally thorough and conscientious in his preparation, Professor Rosenberg is excellent at facilitating discussion. I can see what students mean when they praise his balance of discussion and lecture. He brings a playful spirit to the class and clearly has fun, but at the same time he manages skillfully to introduce… read more about Professor Gabriel Rosenberg Awarded the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences Robert B. Cox Award for Undergraduate Teaching »
This year’s Queer Theory Lecture in Honor of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick hosted Professor Juana María Rodríguez, whose lecture “Biopolitic, Portraiture, and the Poetics of Puta Life” comes from a chapter of her forthcoming book project entitled Puta Life: Seeing Latina, Working Sex. This work focuses on how individuals look at, and linger on, images. The chapter she presented analyzes how nineteenth century Mexican state authorities used photography as a way to document and categorize mujeres publicas (sex-… read more about Annual Queer Theory Lecture “Biopolitic, Portraiture, and the Poetics of Puta Life” »
The upcoming Afro-Feminist Performance Routes symposium and the Collegium for African Diasporic Dance highlight the contributions of Black dance, allowing artists, dancers, students, faculty, and the wider Durham community to share in critical inquiry and inspiration. Rujeko Dumbutshena is a dancer, choreographer and teacher of what she terms “neo traditional” Zimbabwean dance technique, Rujeko Dumbutshena teaches and performs throughout the U.S. and recently received her MFA from the University of New Mexico. The… read more about Two Events Making Duke the Center of Black Dance »
On January 30, 2020, Nicholas Syrett, a historian and chair of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at the University of Kansas, gave a work-in-progress lecture, “The Notorious Madame Restell: Childhood and the Criminalization of Abortion in Nineteenth-Century America,” sponsored by the Program in Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies and the History Department. The focus was the changing discourse of the value of children and definitions of childhood that led to the criminalization of abortion by 1881 in the… read more about “The Notorious Madame Restell: Childhood and the Criminalization of Abortion in Nineteenth-Century America” with Nicholas Syrett »
On Saturday, November 2, 2019, Duke Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies hosted an all-day transdisciplinary event on “Intimate Economies of the Nonhuman”. The workshop brought together six scholars from a range of institutions and disciplines to present works-in-progress around the question of “care” as it relates to various nonhuman actors. At the intersection of feminist scholarship on political “care” economies and posthuman scholarship on nonhuman actors, the following framing questions were posed: “Does the intimate… read more about Intimate Economies of the Nonhuman: A "Care Work" Workshop »
I learned to pray through my fingertips. These are poignant words Dr. Yona Harvey shared from her poem “Communion with Mary Lou Williams” during her talk. Harvey’s poem presents prayer as a productive process. These words assert that the production of Black feminist art and knowledge is a spiritual act. Therefore, it is fitting to describe the Gender Colloquium: Diasporic Legacies and Black Feminist Sonic Visualities featuring Drs. Yona Harvey (assistant professor at The University of Pittsburgh Writing Program), Meta DuEwa… read more about Duke on Gender Colloquium: "Diasporic Legacies and Black Feminist Sonic Visualities" »
Before starting my role at the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (GSF) program, I lived on Gadigal country in Sydney, where I received my Ph.D. in an interdisciplinary program in Social and Political Thought at the Institute for Social Justice. Having grown up in Austria, I am now used to the Sydney climate and look forward to a Northern Hemisphere fall and winter with a mix of excitement and horror. Along with my postdoctoral colleague Ingrid Meintjes, I am part of the “Rethinking Global Economies of Care” (RGEC)… read more about Riikka Prattes, PhD »