Objects as Texts: Materializing Race, Gender, and Sexuality

What is the relationship between objects and identity? This course analyzes how material objects reflect and produce representations of identity, which map onto the body. Alongside a survey of cultural studies, feminist theory, and critical race studies scholarship, we will use specific objects—including, sugar, milk, vibrators, and Spanx—as case studies to critically consider how material culture informs and signals identity. With an emphasis on race, gender, and sexuality, we will read objects as texts and explore how materiality shapes politics, performance, and power.