220124 Transformations of Gender Relations in the Americas (S) (WiSe 2013/2014)

The seminar examines gender relations in the Americas (North, Central, South America and the Carribean) with regard to current constellations and in historical perspective.
The key question of the seminar is how Gender Relations in the Americas have changed in the last decades and what differences one can see between various countries, different social groups and areas of social life concerning gender aspects.
Alongside an overview of the history of gendered hierarchizations and imaginations from the conquest until today, we will discuss central theoretical approaches from feminist and gender studies (sex and gender, competing race and gender discourses etc.). One focus will be on current strategies to reduce gender inequalities as gender programs sponsored by the World Bank and international NGOs, diversity and gender mainstreaming concepts. We will also discuss continuity and change concerning abortion legislation, gender and migration (care chains, transnational parenthood) or sex tourism. Furthermore, we examine different feminisms from and within the Americas (Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, African American feminism, feminismos populares, Chicana feminism, indígena feminisms, queer of Diaspora perspectives) as well as aspects of sexualities and masculinities in transformation.