ON A RECENT VISIT to a Ivy League university in the US with scholars from across the Global South, we came across something strange. A book on feminism from its library had a bizarre tag pasted on it. The tag was brought to our notice by Elizabeth Weed, one of the editors of the acclaimed journal of feminist cultural studies called ‘Differences’. She was delivering a talk to us provocatively titled ‘Against Gender’. Before I reveal the name of the book and what the tag said, it might be useful to touch upon why she used this title. Weed raised some critical questions about how the journey of feminism in the academy – from women’s to gender to feminist studies centres and departments – has had to continuously confront attempts of being depoliticized, appropriated and domesticated. While she was referring to experiences in North America, it had resonances for Feminists from the Global South as well.

[Read More]