WOMEN AND POLITICS

I. Course Goal:

The goal of the course is to create an understanding and deepen the awareness of what we
consider “political” – a matter of power relations - by using women as the context for
rethinking our understanding of the nature of "politics", traditional analyses of governing
institutions, political processes, theories of politics and what constitutes political activity. We
particularly want you to understand women as emerging political players in society, their
history as outsiders, strategies for gaining political power, the evolution of public policies
that affect the lives and opportunities of women, and the present political status of women in
Tajikistan and globally.

II. Course Description:

The course Women and Politics is an investigation of contemporary women’s issues in

politics, with particular emphasis on equality, cultural politics, women and development,
women and war.

This course is particularly interested in rooting out assumptions and perspectives on reality
by highlighting the gender viewpoint. The perspectives and assumptions we hold profoundly
shape what questions we ask, if any, about social problems, the explanations and conclusions
we reach about them, and, ultimately, the actions we might propose or take by way of
solution. We cannot overemphasize the urgency in continuing to ask questions, to reshape
and mold the questions, to accurately reflect an active and participatory approach when
engaging “social reality”.

This course will help you explore social constructions of gender and the implications of these
constructions for politics. This requires taking the idea of gender seriously and
acknowledging it is a social construction which shapes who we are, how we think and act,
and what “realities” we create. It assumes a power relationship, and is therefore political at
its core. We will examine some of the manifestations of this relationship.

More precisely, we will look at women as political participants, and as people affected by the
political system. We will look at how constructions of masculinity and femininity shape and
are shaped by interacting economic, political, and ideological practices and how gender
categories are constructed and how they shape our identities, our ways of thinking (concepts,
worldviews), and our ways of acting (divisions of labor, institutions). We also want to look
at gender in the politics of personal identities, everyday activities, political participation, and
social structures (language, media, education, religion, violence). Thus, we will look at
processes and outcomes. We are interested in processes because women and men are treated
differently in the system, because they operate differently in the system, and because they are
perceived differently. Women live with different expectations than those placed on men
when they assume public office.

We are interested in outcomes because we know that men and women are not affected in
same ways by public policies; and, we know that children (for whom women are primarily
responsible) are not affected in the same ways that men are affected.

Our political institutions are rooted in judgments about gender and other elements of
individual (and collective) identity; our institutions are not neutral, nor are they inclusive.
Thus, government does not legitimate all political actors, identities, relationships or practices.

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To get at these issues, this course is not simply about ‘women in politics’. Rather, it is about
a fundamental source of tension in the political system – a tension resulting from the demand
for basic reorientation.

When we look at politics as gendered, we can begin to see how the personal is political, how
we all participate in the maintenance of this system, and how social hierarchies (ethnicity,
race, sexual orientation, gender, class) are interrelated. This course should be thought
provoking. Because gender identities are fundamental, some topics may have particular
relevance and implications for your everyday lives.

III. Course Requirements:

Lectures and discussion seminars will challenge students to examine the importance of
culture in defining gender roles, the division of political power between women and men,
women's changing political role in Tajik and other societies, and the impact of that change on
governmental processes and public policy outcomes.

All students will be expected to attend class, be familiar with the readings, complete
assignments on time prior to class, and participate in an informed manner in class
discussions. Independent research and thinking is encouraged and supported. Two
printed questions or comments about the required readings must be submitted at the
beginning of each class.

The final grade will be calculated from:

Class discussions: 20%

Submitted questions: 20%
Short answer essay: 20%
Exam or term paper: 40% (choice of student)

Course Structure
Total hours: 51
Lectures: 34 hours
Seminars: 17

Week Name of Section Seminar

№

1. Introduction - 1 Discussions on reading

- Gender terminology,
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, 1789
- Olympe de Gouges, Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the
Female Citizen, 1791
bases for politics, political identities, institutions, processes –
background concepts, vocabulary and history to establish / build context
Women's Emancipation
What is politics?
What is Social Policy?
constructing social policies
2. Explanations of gender inequalities: biology? Discussions on reading
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “Are Women Human Beings?”, 1912
3. Explanations of Gender Inequalities: Social Constructions? Discussions on reading
Culture & Change

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Culture as Context: Tradition & Change AKHP

Social and Cultural Participation
Roles and Responsibilities
Reconstructing the political/ Private and public, social and political
4. Explanations of Gender Inequalities: Psychological Differences? Discussions on reading
Political Differences: Men / Women
“Why body matters?”
5. Health Care Policy / Reproductive Rights - 1 Discussions on reading
- Health Reforms in Tajikistan and World Wide
6. Gendered Identities and Institutions: Family Discussions on reading
Roles and Responsibilities
Family Law
Child Care
7. Educational policy – 1 Discussions on reading
- Legislation Republic of Tajikistan on Promoting Access to Higher
Education for Women
8. Why Gender Matters - 1 Discussions on reading
 Why Gender Matters in Understanding September 11: Women,
Militarism, and Violence, Amy Caiazza, 2001
 Check http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/laws/vawa/vawa.htm
Violence Against Women Act of 1994
9. Man, Women, Terrorism and Media Discussions on reading
- Aziza Baimatova, Representation of Male and Female Terrorists in the (Promote critical thinking on the
Russian media, 2002-2004, 2005 article written by the teacher)
10. Women’s rights in Tajikistan Discussions on reading
 Legislation Republic of Tajikistan on Promoting Access to Higher
Education for Women
 Access to Power
 Political Interests of Women
 Gender Equity in Politics
11. Social Problems and Inequality – 1 Discussions on reading
Disposable Domestics: Immigrant Women Workers in the Global
Economy, Grace Chang, 2000
12. Seminar – Social Problems and Inequality – 2 Discussions on reading
13. The UN Women’s Conferences in a Global Age Discussions on reading
 H. Pietila & J. Vickers, Making Women Matter. The Role of the
United Nations (London and New Jersey 1996; first ed. 1990) 117-132.
 Inderpal Grewal, ‘On the New Global Feminism and the Family of
Nations: Dilemma’s of Transnational Feminist Practice’, in: Ella
Shohat (ed.), Talking Visions. Multicultural Feminism in a
Transnational Age (New York etc. 1998) 501-530.
 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW).
 The Beijing Declaration and The Platform for Action. Fourth World
Conference on Women. Beijing, China, 4-15 September 1995 (New
York 1996) 1-18.

Note: Articles presented in the reader are required reading and must be read by everyone.
Additional reading is for those who want to read more about a subject, or who want to write
their term paper about it (a list will be distributed).

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