Feminist Freedoms

Because feminism understands itself to be fundamentally concerned with increasing liberty, specifically of women, this course will focus on the theme of freedom. We will consider 1) what it means to be a free political actor, 2) whether freedom is the highest political good, 3), whether, and how, freedom is compatible with other values, and 4) how different forms of government and political structures contribute to, or detract from, attempts to increase freedom. We will read contemporary works from a range of genres that ask what it means to exist on the ‘margins’ of politics, where freedom seems most tenuous.