My thinking has shifted and changed in a few ways, starting with a much more nuanced understanding of feminist conflict and its scope. While at the start, I had a few guesses as to what feminist conflict would exactly entail, but now I know there is much more to it than my initial guesses. The texts/conversations that pushed me in a new direction were some of the ones towards the beginning, like “The Tyranny of Structurelessness”, and Lorde’s “The Uses of Anger”, which made me actually think about the structure of the movement, where it was headed, and what I was doing about it. Another one was our discussion of de-centering whiteness with “This Bridge Called My Back.” That was another reading that provoked introspection on my own senses of entitlement in feminism as a white woman, and an attempt to raise awareness in myself of ways that I have/am unhelpful and defensive. I wouldn’t say exactly that anything happened that I didn’t expect, only because I didn’t really have set expectations of the course going into it. I was surprised though by the level of self reflection the course would encourage and even require in some places. I enjoyed that part of it. It felt in some parts like growth.
The idea that has become maybe the most important to me is discussion of transformative justice. I am currently planning a future career in law (preferably criminal law, though I keep being told specifically not to do that) and will be taking my LSATs over the summer. While I don’t necessarily agree with the idea of transformative justice, I do agree with most of the underlying principles of it. It is a discussion to hold on to for the future, if that is where I will wind up, and trying to find ways within the system to accommodate some of these ideas. Maybe that sounds very optimistic. I guess I’ll find out. I will also be taking forward with me the texts I mentioned above, and even texts from the science fiction unit, since those were some of my favorites, being a big lover of science fiction already. On top of it all, I think it will be important to move forward with any of the strategies we had discussed for resolving feminist conflict, and being more knowledgeable about these issues.
My understanding of feminist conflict has expanded past what it was originally. I now have more examples of what feminist conflict entails, where I will encounter it, and what can be done to remedy it in some places. It originally felt like a very daunting subject that would be almost overwhelmingly frustrating. It now feels much more approachable.
This has been a wonderful semester, and this course in particular has been eye-opening, informative, and important. I greatly enjoyed taking it. Thank you for the learning experience.