The issue of gender is one of the major challenges, if not the most significant, in various recent feminist theories and practices. While gender is typically described as a set of constituent elements of social relationships based on perceived differences between the sexes, and also as a means of signifying power relations, there is no agreement on its meaning and function. As a category of thought intrinsic to subjectivity and identity, gender raises several key questions: sexual difference, the connections between the biological and the cultural, the contribution of socialization to identity construction, the critique of social roles (often stereotyped) assigned to individuals, the definition and composition of the category of women, etc.

First, we will analyze and compare the multiple conceptions of gender among certain French (Delphy, Guillaumin, Mathieu, Wittig) and Anglo-American (Butler, de Lauretis, Scott, Showalter) feminist theorists. Then, we will examine contemporary works by women writers to uncover the textual and epistemological strategies that underpin different literary representations of gender and the impact of these strategies on the diverse methods of constructing the female subject. It is important to note that the theoretical and analytical components of this course will be beneficial to those working on issues of identity and the subject, regardless of the period of their specialization.

Students from other graduate programs may submit assignments in English with approval of the instructor.