Black Trans Studies

Catalog description

This course introduces students to significant strands of thought in the field of Black trans studies. Some suggest that the scope of Black trans studies is too narrow; this course seeks to illustrate otherwise. As Susan Stryker argues, “the field of transgender studies, far from being an inconsequentially narrow specialization dealing only with a rarified population of transgender individuals, or with an eclectic collection of esoteric transgender practices, represents a significant and ongoing critical engagement with some of the most trenchant issues in contemporary humanities, social science, and biomedical research.” Black trans studies offers a framework for approaching some of society’s most critical topics. We’ll explore intellectual genealogies that give rise to Black trans studies, trans narratives and the racialized history of medicine, coalition and community building, violence and policing, representations of Black transness, and debates about today’s movement priorities.