Sexuality and Gender in the Age of Global Politics
Globalization has radically altered the reach of markets, the powers of the nation state, and the nature of political organization across national borders. In what ways have movements concerned with the advancement of women and sexual minorities responded to these changes? What new possibilities have been created for collective organizing around issues of mutual concern? How can relevant social and political groups in advanced and developing countries profitably employ the ever-growing interconnectedness of economies and states? These are just some of the questions that our students will face as they make their way into a society and economy that is deeply interconnected yet fraught with value conflicts that cannot be easily understood, let alone mediated, in the manner of traditional political liberalism. Understanding the continued relevance but also the significant constraints of older models of political thinking is crucial to making one's way in a world of global interconnectedness, where presuppositions about shared core values often meet their limit.
This initiative takes as its departure point the 2011-12 Sawyer Seminar, funded by the Mellon Foundation: Women's International Human Rights: Problems, Paradoxes, Possibilities.