What Is at Stake for Gender Justice in 2016? Rethinking Gender and the Politics of Possible

Discussions of gender and gender-related concerns are ubiquitous in the landscape of the 2016 election and yet in many ways remain bound by certain narrative frames.

In this talk, Professor Sharmila Lodhia will offer an analysis of a series of anticipated and unanticipated ways in which ideas about gender have entered contemporary law and politics inviting pause to consider what a “common good” enshrined in concepts like equality, justice and rights even looks like within a transnational landscape characterized by distinct histories, contexts and societal norms. Professor Lodhia argues that when undertaking advocacy interventions in the arena of gender justice, whether on a local or global scale, we must remain self-reflexive and consider not only the particular visibilities but also particular vulnerabilities within mainstream movements.

Stephanie Wildman will respond, drawing on her essay on Gender In/Sight to suggest frames for processing the spoken and unspoken gender-based assumptions that pulsate through the news.