NAS 368C - Decolonizing Transgender

4 credits
In this course, we examine the development of the concept of transgender as it is situated across social, cultural, historical, legal, medical, and political contexts. Gender-variant identities around the world have been prevalent in most global societies while “transgender” is a recent social category and phenomenon. According to authors of a Transgender Studies Quarterly Special Issue Decolonizing the Transgender Imagery “Alongside the emergence of research on gender non-conforming and gender-variant practices and as a field for over the last decade, transgender studies has been challenged to interrogate its whiteness (Roen, 2006; Haritaworn and Snorton 2013). However, less work has appeared that would challenge transgender studies to look closely at its geographic and historical location as a product of a largely North American settler culture.” In this class we explore questions such as: What does transgender and decolonization mean to you: personally, politically, intellectually? What are some strategies to make transgender or trans studies-themed knowledge production serve the interests of trans and gender non-conforming people who are most marginalized both within the academy itself and within the world at large? Is the term “transgender” applicable to Indigenous gender embodiments and practices? How do we respectfully and lovingly decolonize transgender? May count towards the Certificate in Transgender Studies, GSWS major, GSWS minor, or Ethnic & Racial Studies minor.
Graded (A-F) only.