Introductory course on Gender and Intersectionality
Section outline
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Gender influences our daily life and the society, institutions and everything in it are gendered whether we see it or not. Moreover gender isn’t operating in isolation but intersects with various other forms of social constructs and identities in a complex manner. It is important for us to embed our understanding of gender in this larger socio-political environment and societal structures of oppression like patriarchy, caste, capitalism, cis-heteronormativity, communalism, ableism etc.
This course aims to -
- Introduce the concepts of gender and intersectionality in the larger context of our society
- Facilitate learners to critically examine the foundations of patriarchy and power, and analyze their intersections with class, capitalism, caste, race, religion/faith, SOGIESC, sexuality, ethnicity, language, region/location, occupation/profession, disability, relationship status, ideologies/beliefs, literacy/education, community, etc., to uncover how these structures impact people at individual and systemic levels to create inequalities and inequities
- Facilitate the learners to develop a critical and intersectional feminist approach to their research and worldview
Course format:
Completely online with 4 modules comprising 5 live sessions online and other reading/AV materials, short assignments to engage in learning. This is a free course in English for persons aged above 18 years.
Duration: Approx 15 hours spread over 6 weeks (approx 2.5 learning hours/week)
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In this module, we delve into the concepts of Sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexuality, sexual orientation, sex characteristics beyond heteronormativity and binaries. This module isn’t only about technicalities or definitions but also the impact of the concepts on ourselves, friends, any partners, families (chosen or otherwise), environment and society. Some of the key topics under the module include -
- SOGIESC diversity & understanding. Are SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics) socio-biological constructs - How and why?
- Gender, GSRM (Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minorities) and sexuality spectrum, fluidity
- Sexuality and its relation to gender and sex, impact of sexuality
- How these identities intersect with other social identities
- Terminologies and reflecting on the language we use.
- The idea of 'other'
- Myths and mysteries around sexuality especially in the context of gender identity and sexuality spectrum
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“Apnon Ka Bahut Lagta Hai (Our Own Hurt Us The Most) Centering Familial Violence in the Lives of Queer and Trans Persons in the Marriage Equality Debates” which is a report on the findings from a closed-door public hearing organised by PUCL (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, India) and National Network (India) of LBI women and Transpersons.
We suggest everyone to engage with the whole document, but especially the specific parts - highlighted in the contents a) Glossary (has definitions of all concepts), b) parts of introduction - The Violence of Assigned Families, The Testifiers and the Hearing, c) the chapter: Natal Family Violence: A Missed Context and d) recommendations - Creating an Enabling Environment through Stakeholder sensitization.
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In this module, power and patriarchy will be explored in depth - going beyond “male dominance” or “men vs women” and reflect on it as a systemic power/oppressive structure and understand the forms it can take. This will be done through day-to-day relatable examples to see how patriarchy operates at individual, family, societal and larger institutional levels. Further through the understanding of intersectionality, we unpack how patriarchy interacts with class, caste, religion, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation and reinforce oppressive structures and inequities.
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Reflect on the lived experiences of women in the documentary and how people are positioned in the narrative of population control policies.Please share your reflections in the discussion forum (min 100 words) and we'll discuss them further in the next live session.
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Chapter - ‘Difference’ through intersectionality by Kimberlé Crenshaw in the Book Dalit Feminist Theory: A Reader, edited by Sunaina Arya, Aakash Singh Rathore.
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In this module, we explore domains of our lives in society like health, politics, labour, public spaces and see them through gender and intersectionality lens. We discuss topics like -
- Who is society and so what is our role in these structures?
- How systems ensures or perpetuates privileges (or lack of), inequities, structural violence
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In this final module, we will try applying the learnings from the previous modules on the power structures in our society and see what it would mean for applying a feminist lens to viewing our society and problems in it as a researcher/ practitioner. We will delve into topics like -
- Positionality
- What is considered as “knowledge”, “evidence”, “scientific”, “credible”?
- (Re)visit feminism. Define and reflect on intersectional feminism - its basis and significance. What does it mean to the learners realistically and personally?