SACS 202: Gender and Sexuality Studies - A History of Feminist Theory and Activism

Introduction to SACS 202 and institutional History

• Course Context: SACS 202 is an academic course focusing on Gender and Sexuality Studies at the university level.
• Institutional History:
  • The gender and sexuality studies (Gen Sex) minor was established in $2018$.
  • The minor was created following the disestablishment and "demise" of the Women’s Studies program in $2011$, which was previously housed within the School of Education.
  • The program was originally established in $1975$.
  • Phyllida Bunkle: Bunkle was the first Program Director of Women’s Studies in $1975$. She was also an Alliance Member of Parliament (MP) and a prominent health activist.
  • The Cartwright Inquiry and the "Unfortunate Experiment":
    • Phyllida Bunkle and Sandra Coney exposed the "unfortunate experiment" in Metro magazine in the mid-$1980s$.
    • The experiment was conducted by Associate Professor Herbert Green at National Women’s Hospital.
    • From $1966$ through the early $1980s$, Green conducted experiments on women who showed signs of carcinoma in situ (cervical cancer) without their consent.

The Evolution and Institutionalization of Feminism (1970s–1980s)

• Global Context: The $1970s$ and $1980s$ saw massive social and cultural changes globally, with a rise in feminist activity in both the Global North and the Global South.
• The "Long Walk Through the Institutions": Linda Nicholson uses this phrase to describe how feminism began to embed and mainstream itself within academia, organizations, and parliament during the $1970s$ and $1980s$.
• New Zealand University Landscape:
  • By this time, five other universities in Aotearoa had Women’s Studies programs.
  • Canterbury University was the exception, naming its program "Feminist Studies."
  • The establishment of academic "Chairs" (professorships) at the University of Auckland and Waikato University signaled that the field had become accepted and legitimized.

The Decline and Rebranding Period (Late 1990s–Early 2000s)

• Disestablishment: Between the late $1990s$ and early $2000s$, Women’s Studies programs began to be shut down or amalgamated into larger departments like anthropology, psychology, or sociology (e.g., at Auckland University).
• Causality for Decline:
  • Backlash: Reaction against feminist progress.
  • Victim of Success: The "mainstreaming" of gender equity meant other departments absorbed the subject matter, leaving Women's Studies without a "natural home" due to its interdisciplinary nature.
• The "F-Word" Stigma:
  • In $2002$, Canterbury University changed the name of its program from "Feminist Studies" to "Gender Studies."
  • This shift occurred because the term "feminist" had gained a negative public reputation, often referred to as the "f-word."
  • Students found it difficult to explain the subject to parents, employers, and peers due to stereotypes of feminists as "hairy-legged," "grumpy," and "dungaree-wearing."

The Rise of Popular and Fourth Wave Feminism (2010–Present)

• Feminism in Vogue: By approximately $2012$, feminism experienced a resurgence in popularity, especially among young people.
• Popular/Celebrity feminism:
  • Beyoncé: Famous VMA performance in $2014$ showcasing the word "Feminist."
  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Published We Should All Be Feminists in $2014$.
  • Emma Watson: Fronted the "HeForShe" UN agenda.
  • Miley Cyrus: Publicly identified as one of the world's "biggest feminists."
• Feminism Light: Academics often critique these celebrity representations as "feminism light" because they focus on empowerment and individual sentiment rather than addressing structural inequalities (racism, capitalism, and patriarchy).
• Fourth Wave: This period of visibility and social media engagement is often referred to as the beginning of the fourth wave of feminism.

Post-feminism and Media Sensitivity

• Post-feminism Defined: A perspective that suggests society has moved "past" feminism because its goals (gender equity) have purportedly been achieved. It often blends elements of individualism and consumerism.
• Rosalind Gill: A feminist media studies scholar who wrote about the "post-feminist sensibility."
• Sarah Banet-Weiser: Argues that popular feminism is often "defanged" (lacking bite/teeth). She suggests it can act as a backlash by commodifying feminism to make it "safe," thereby resisting deep structural critiques.

Examples of Contemporary Feminist Activism

• Knitivism: Using knitting and crochet for peaceful protest. Example: Tank Cozy by Danish artist Marianne Jørgensen, which involved knitters globally creating squares to cover a tank as an anti-war commentary on the US-Iraq war ($2003$–$2011$).
• SlutWalks ($2011$–$2013$): Originated at York University in Toronto, Canada. A policeman suggested women avoid "dressing like sluts" to prevent sexual assault. This sparked global protests to end rape culture, victim-blaming, and slut-shaming. Marches were held locally in Pōneke (Wellington).
• FEMEN: A radical Ukrainian feminist group founded in $2008$. Known for bare-chested direct protests with slogans on their bodies. In December $2024$, they protested in Vatican City against Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
• Everyday Sexism Project: Started by Laura Bates in April $2012$. An online space for sharing experiences ranging from street harassment to workplace discrimination.
• High School Activism: From $2010$, feminist clubs emerged in schools like Wellington High, Wellington Girls, and Onslow College. Research by psychologist Sue Jackson documents this "feisty" local activism.

The Shift to Gender and Sexuality Studies

• Institutional Evolution: SACS 202 was originally titled "Topic in Feminist Theory: Key Thinkers and Perspectives."
• National Geographic "Gender Revolution" ($2017$): An iconic special issue that signaled gender diversity had become a global phenomenon. As of $2023$, National Geographic had $60,000,000$ readers monthly and $265,000,000$ Instagram followers in $2023$.
• Rationale for Naming: The course and minor were renamed to "Gender and Sexuality Studies" not to abandon feminism, but to acknowledge the evolution of the field into transgender studies and queer theory.

Modern Politics of Naming: DEI and Legislation

• DEI Rebranding: In the US and UK, organizations are renaming "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" (DEI) programs to avoid political backlash.
  • JPMorgan: Changed DEI to DOI (Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion).
  • McDonald’s: Renamed the "Global DEI Center of Excellence" to the "Global Inclusion Team."
  • US Universities: Using terms like "Division of Access and Opportunity."
• New Zealand Context: The "Definitions of Women and Men Bill" (submissions closed on July $2$, $2025$) represents current legislative debates over naming and definitions.
• Core Theme: The lecturer uses the tagline "Being, Becoming, and Belonging," influenced by the artwork of UCLA academic and photographer Catherine Opie.

Critique of Popular Media (The New Zealand Listener Article)

• Context: An article by Daniel McLaughlin in the New Zealand Listener (May $2025$) argues that feminist theory was replaced by "gender theory" due to the "ubiquitous" influence of Judith Butler.
• Theoretical Links in the Article:
  • Simone de Beauvoir (Social construction of gender).
  • Michel Foucault (Queer theory and biopower).
  • Judith Butler (Synthesizing De Beauvoir and Foucault).
• Herculine Barbin ($1838$–$1868$): A key figure in intersex history. Born in France, she identified as a woman but was reclassified as male by the legal system after a medical exam. She took her own life at age $29$. Foucault discovered and published her memoirs a century later.
• Lecturer's Critique: The article conflates all feminists with "gender-critical feminists," which is a reductionist view of the diversity within the movement.

Gender Critical Feminism and Definitions

• Gender Critical Feminism: An ideology that opposes "gender ideology."
  • Core belief: Sex is biological, immutable, and binary.
  • Rejection of the idea that trans women can self-identify as women based on gender identity rather than biological sex.
  • Carol Hooven: An evolutionary biologist mentioned as supporting a dimorphic (two-form) model of sexed embodiment.
• Etymology of Feminism:
  • The word "feminism" was coined by French philosopher Charles Fourier in $1837$.
  • The term "feminist" first appeared in the Oxford Dictionary in $1852$.
• Working Definition: Hannah Dawson (drawing on bell hooks) defines feminism as the insight that sexism exists and the struggle against that oppression.

Schools of Feminist Thought

• Mary Wollstonecraft ($1792$): In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, she argued that lack of education was the root cause of inequality.
• Typologies of the "Second Wave":
  • Liberal Feminism: Focuses on legal reform and equal opportunity.
  • Radical Feminism: Focuses on the root (radix) of patriarchy and male dominance.
  • Socialist/Marxist Feminism: Focuses on the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy.
• Omissions and Alternatives: The "Wave" model is problematic and Western-centric. Other frameworks include Ecofeminism, Anarcho-feminism, Psychoanalytic feminism, and Mana Wahine theory (the latter has its own distinct genealogy/whakapapa).

Questions & Discussion

• Question: What is post-feminism?
  • Answer: It is understood by the prefix "post" (after). It suggests we are in a period after feminism where support is waning because its goals are seen as achieved. It focuses on individualism and empowerment at the expense of structural critique.
• Question: What is gender-critical feminism?
  • Answer: It is often characterized as exclusionary toward trans individuals. It posits that biological sex is the only valid metric for defining men and women and rejects gender self-identification.
  • Discussion Note: The lecturer clarified that while some are called "TERFs," not all gender-critical thinkers (like Carol Hooven) would use that label for themselves.