Universität Wien
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180117 SE African womanism (2012W)

Feminist Concepts in Dialogue

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 45 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Saturday 01.12. 09:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
  • Saturday 08.12. 09:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
  • Saturday 12.01. 09:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock
  • Saturday 26.01. 09:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 3F NIG 3.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The target of the seminar is an introduction into theories of African and African-American feminists/womanists and their efforts to find apt terms and concepts for the description of their realities. Furthermore it will show their efforts to oppose white feminism and its claim to speak for all women in the world and its sometimes subtle, sometimes open racism. The seminar is a trial to open the discourse for a fruitful dialogue between theories from different regions of the world beyond all claims of hegemony.
Here the topics of the seminar:
- African womanism and the claim of universal validity of Western-global feminism: a critique
- Colonialism and Gender Relations
- Race and Gender
- The concept of African-American and African "womanism" and "stiwanism" and the confrontation with Western feminism / gender discourses
- "Africana Feminism" (The African Diaspora and their voice in African philosophy)
- Challenges to Western feminism: dialogue and conflicts

Assessment and permitted materials

Participation on seminar discussions, presentation or co-paper on a certain selected topic and a thesis (not more than 12 pages). The deadline will be announced.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Feminist theories from Africa or the African Diaspora are hardly known in the West. But they offer several interesting insights into politically relevant areas: The question of the social position (or role) of African and black women does not only open up matters of gender relations, but furthermore questions of colonialism/post colonialism and gender, questions concerning the hegemony of the Western world (economic, political, academic) and questions concerning the relationship between racism and gender. The problems mentioned above will be discussed on the basis of texts of African and African-American woman authors in order to enrich the participants with the cross-cultural dimension of feminist debates and research.

Examination topics

Beside an introduction into the topic by the lecturer, the seminar bases mainly on analysis of certain selected texts. The aim of this analysis is to become familiar with certain theoretical positions of the African feminist discourse. Furthermore the participants will learn how to apply methods of text analysis and text interpretation. Introductory presentations on specific topics and co-papers will be awarded. A Co-paper has the task to create an explicit counter-argument to the main concept. The target is to practice different ways of argumentation.

Reading list

Arndt, Susan (2000): Feminismus im Widerstreit. Afrikanischer Feminismus in Gesellschaft und Literatur, Münster.
Davis, Angela (1982): Women, Race and Class: An Activist Perspective. Women's Studies Quarterly, Vol. 10, Nr. 4, S. 5-9.
Eboh, Marie Pauline (1992): The woman question: African and Western Perspectives, In: Herta Nagl-Docekal/Franz M. Wimmer (Hrsg.): Postkoloniales Philosophieren: Afrika. Wien/München, S. 206-213.
Kwame, Safro (1995): Feminism and African Philosophy, In: ders. (Ed.): Readings in African Philosophy: An Akan Collection, New York, S. 253-265.
Nzwegwu, Nkira (2004): Feminism and Africa: Impact and Limits of the Metaphysics of Gender, In: Wiredu (Ed.) A Companion to African Philosophy, Oxford [u.a.], S. 560-569.
Nkiru Nzegwu: "Grenzüberschreitungen Die Auslöschung der Geschlechter (gender) in der afrikanischen Kunstgeschichte". In: Polylog. Zeitschrift für interkulturelle Philosophie 4 (1999), S. 54-69.
Oduk, Helen (2002): Feminist Philosophy: An African Perspective. In: Presbey, Gail u.a. (Eds.): Thought an Practice in African Philosophy, Nairobi.
Ogundipe-Leslie, Molara (1996): Stiwanism: Feminism in an African Context, In. dies: Recreating Ourselves: African Women and Critical Transformations, Trenton, S. 207- 241.
Ogunyemis, Chikwenye Okonjo (2006): Womanism: The Dynamics of the Contemporary Black Female Novel in English (1985), In: Phillips, Layli (Hrsg.): The Womanist Reader, New York, S. 21-36.
Oyewumi, Oyeronke (1997): Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses, Minneapolis.
Presbey, Gail (1998): Should woman love 'wisdom'?, In: P.H. Coetzee/A.P.J. Roux: The African Philosophy Reader. New York/London, S. 361-372.
Taiwo, Olefumi (2003): Feminism and Africa: Reflections on the Poverty of Theory, In: Oyewumi, Oyeronke: African Women and Feminism: Reflecting on the Politics of Sisterhood. Amsara (Eritrea), 45-66.
Eine genaue Literaturliste wird am Beginn des Seminars bekannt gegeben.

Association in the course directory

BA M 13

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:36