GLOBAL 150Q

Throughout Asia, “globalization” and “development” have become synonymous with progress and success. In this course, we will challenge the hegemony of neoliberal market ideology by investigating the commodification of women’s labor in the workplace, in the family, and in the bedroom. We will look at recent trends in labor force participation, sex trafficking, marriage customs, and reproductive rights across Asia. At the same time we interrogate the underlying political, cultural, and economic mechanisms that tend to perpetuate women’s marginality and subordination, we will also seek to understand the many ways in which women have struggled for their self-identity and agency.