Unit 3 - Insights from Feminist Political Economy

Unit Introduction

Unit Title: 

Unit 3 - Insights from Feminist Political Economy

This unit was delivered by Dr. Sara Stevano, SOAS

Unit Description

The lecture is divided into four parts. The first is dedicated to a brief introduction to feminist economics/political economy (pre-recorded short lecture) and will provide the basis for an initial class discussion. The second part engages with some of the key insights generated by feminist analyses of agrarian transformations in the Global South, highlighting how a feminist lens can uncover important blind spots in our understanding of agricultural production and rural life. In the third part, we will consider the key principles of a feminist approach to research and collectively reflect on positionality issues. Finally, the fourth part, will be dedicated to a class discussion of a suggested reading advancing a Marxist ecofeminist perspective on the COVID-19 crisis and followed by a brief overview of a feminist analysis of the social reproduction of households and labour during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lecture the students will be able to:

  1. Describe the basic principles of feminist approaches to economics and political economy
  2. Identify the dimensions that feminist analyses of agrarian transformations have uncovered
  3. Critically reflect on how to integrate feminist insights and principles in your own research practice