Week 4

Key Questions

• What are the ways in which carceral feminism can be seen in the contemporary political landscape? What continuities can be drawn between the carceral feminism of the late 20th century and the carceral feminism of today?

• How can popular feminist campaigns such as the campus anti-rape movement and #MeToo be considered carceral? What does this reveal about these campaigns?

• How have carceral feminists influenced the contemporary legal landscape? What specific changes have resulted from carceral feminist efforts?

Required Materials:

• Aya Gruber, The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women’s Liberation in Mass Incarceration, “The Battle Plan: From the Sexual Cold War to the New Sex Panic”

• Aya Gruber, The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women’s Liberation in Mass Incarceration, “Endless War?”

Supplementary Materials:

• Brenda Cossman, The New Sex Wars: Sexual Harm in the #MeToo Era, "#MeToo Feminist Debates: From Backlash to Generational Gap"

• Brenda Cossman, The New Sex Wars: Sexual Harm in the #MeToo Era, "Feminist Sex Wars: Then and Now"

• Sarah Cate, “Beyond Panic and Punishment: Brock Turner and the Left Response to Sexual Violence”

• Meg Sri, “Feminist Groups Are Right to Rally Against the Brock Turner Inspired Crime Bill”

• Lorna Bracewell, Why We Lost the Sex Wars: Sexual Freedom in the #MeToo Era, “The Liberal Roots of Carceral Feminism”

• Masha Gessen, "When Does a Watershed Become a Sex Panic?"

exercise

An anti-trans politics has risen in prominence over the past decade, with many feminists — commonly referred to as trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) — advocating for legislation to control, regulate, and surveil the lives of trans people, particularly trans women and children. Should this group of feminists be included under the carceral feminist umbrella? What are examples of anti-trans feminists seeking to expand and intensify carceral power?