Table Of ContentFEVERISH
When all systems research trips, no
FEMINISMS IS ON:
failed, we turned feminist events in
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get the words out, to acknowledge all
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to consider how https://bit.ly/2AF20Ke that we have lost.
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INSTAGRAM
respond to this crisis. https://bit.ly/30k1nAe remind you that we
A more feminist, are in this together.
LETTER FROM THE
more socially just, more If you have an idea to
DIRECTORS sustainable future is not share, an internship to post,
only possible, but mandatory. We or just want to be reminded that
SPRING 2020 will not survive this pandemic or we will get through this, do not
whatever comes after if we cannot hesitate to reach out to us.
There are times when words
all figure out how to put people
are nearly meaningless,
and community first. We hope you
when the only thing that matters
will join us in posting, creating Karin Hanta
is embodied action. There are
poetry for, and generally helping Director of Chellis House
times when words are all we have.
keep us all focused on feminist
As we write to this you, months
world-making. Laurie Essig
into the Global Pandemic, having
We also hope you enjoy this Director of the Program in
just passed 100,000 deaths in the
newsletter as it considers our Gender, Sexuality, and
US and 350,000 worldwide, we
recent feminist past and all that we Feminist Studies
have nothing left to say and yet the
were able to achieve. The way the
beautiful, hopeful and resilient
pandemic has stopped the work
words of feminism are all we have.
we were doing is devastating —no
As we write this to you, there is
in person classes, no graduation
a rebellion against police brutality
reception where we got to hug our
against Black people and systemic
graduates and wish them well, no
racism happening around the
US and the world. Words are not
enough. We must put our bodies
on the line too. But words create
Corona Responses
the possibilities of mourning and TABLE OF
Mutual Aid in Times
change. “Say their names” “I can’t
of Covid-19, p. 12
breathe” “Black Lives Matter.”
CONTENTS
Recent Faculty
We had planned for our annual
Achievements, p. 13
Gensler Family Symposium to
Cheryl Faraone Directs
explore “Feminist World Making
Before Times Her Last Show, p. 14
at the End of the World,” but we
E A Zoom Dance Party for the 2020
H never got to hear about the tools Jane: Abortion and the Underground
OC and theories and activisms that During J-Term, p. 2 Feminists of the Year, p. 16
R
A could help us face this moment Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon Onwards
T L and also help us imagine how we for International
A Women’s Day, p . 4
C can build the world anew. Instead, 2019 and 2020
BY we have had to come up with our Feminist Pedagogy Workshop Gensler Prize Winners, p. 19
K own words, our own images, and During J-Term, p. 4 2019 and 2020
R
O our own ideas for feminist world- LA Theatre Works Fraker Prizes, p. 23
W
Presents Seven, p. 5
T making. Paula Schwartz Joins the
R
A That’s why the Program in Las Nietas de Nonó, p. 7 Resistance Again!, p. 25
D
N Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Gender and Right-Wing Populism in May Belle Chellis Reaches Us Through
A
T Studies and the Feminist Resource Western Europe, p. 9 the Ages, p. 27
U
O Center at Chellis House began Emily Bernard at Middlebury, p. 11 Hope in Times of Despair: Considering
Y
A Lesbians in Russia with Professor Laurie
the Feverish Feminisms project.
L
Essig, p. 30
2
ABOVE: The cast of Jane, with Professor Carly Thomsn and Director Taite Shomo in the front row.
Jane: Abortion and the Underground
during J-Term
During the 2020 J-term, Professor Carly
Thomsen’s GSFS 203 “Performing Reproductive
almost three dozen students came to support
Politics” class staged a production of Paula
Taite and Dr. Thomsen by working on set and
Kamen’s Jane: Abortion and the Underground
costume design. The majority of the students
at Middlebury College. The goal of the intensive
neither had prior experience with theater nor
four week course was two-fold: to learn about
had taken courses in Gender, Sexuality, and
how Feminist and Queer Studies can be used in
Feminist Studies. The composition of the course
the service of abortion justice and also to stage
was as one of its strengths, enabling interesting
a production that would allow students to move
conversations and possibilities for collaboration.
their conversations beyond the classroom. The
The play tells the story of the Jane Collective,
idea originated with Taite Shomo ’20.5, a Gender,
an underground abortion referral network
Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and Art History
operating out of Chicago. A bit of a historical
joint major. After taking Dr. Thomsen’s Politics
background: Until Roe v. Wade was decided in
of Reproduction course in fall 2018 and feeling
1973, abortion was illegal in the United States.
inspired by Annika Speer’s article “The Feminist
Despite this, women had abortions—and at
Potential of Docudrama” about the political and
rates similar to today. Some self-aborted, while
epistemological possibilities of staging Jane, she
others terminated their pregnancies with help
asked Dr. Thomsen whether she could direct the
from licensed doctors or even non-professionals.
play during J-term. The class was approved and
3
In 1969, Heather Booth, a
University of Chicago student,
founded the Jane Collective.
This group consisted of Chicago
housewives and students
and started out as a referral
service for women seeking
abortions, but eventually grew
into a network that provided
counseling, abortion services,
and in some cases, childcare
to women of all races and
socio-economic statuses.
Women found out about the
collective by word of mouth or
advertisements in newspapers
that read “Need Help? Call
Jane.” In 1971, members of the
collective learned that one of
their doctors was not licensed,
though he had been performing
up to 20 abortions a day. Soon ABOVE: (from left) Elissa Asch, Alex Myers, and Maddi Stow
after, members of the collective performing in Jane.
taught themselves to perform
abortions, which cut costs
from up to $1000—equivalent find all the academic and journalistic articles
to $6,500 today—to approximately $100. that the class discussed to prepare for the
Performing the abortions themselves allowed production. The play is also on youtube: https://
the Jane Collective to better control costs and www.youtube.com/watch?v=EigEXNSX-x0&f
offer abortions on a sliding scale. Throughout the bclid=IwAR2Sc1Napl97Y6eVbHxfb6LE1VPn8
four years of its operation, the group performed oj_ The website also points to current obstacles
around 11,000 abortions—entirely without that the reproductive justice movement faces, a
fatalities. In 1972, police arrested seven Jane particularly salient point as access to abortion is
members after raiding the apartment where they severely curtailed during the Covid-19-crisis.
operated. However, before the case went to trial, “While learning about the importance of
the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision affective bonds in feminist activism, we were also
legalized abortion and all charges were dropped. able to build and strengthen our own mutual
The story of Jane continues to offer many lessons bonds of affection and thus expand our academic
for thinking about abortion politics, reproductive and activist horizons,” says Elissa Asch ’23.5, who
justice, and women’s liberation—and these acted in the play.
lessons are shared in Paula Kamen’s play Jane: For editing the script, holding auditions,
Abortion and the Underground. casting, and directing (without any previous
As part of their coursework, students produced directing experience) and her incredible ability
a website that provides a historical background of to create a community of people, Taite Shomo
the abortion movement and the play: (www. garnered the 2020 SGA Award for Extraordinary
teachingthejanecollective.com). Readers will also Initiative.
4
WIKIPEDIA EDIT-A-THON
FOR INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S DAY
Every year, the activist highlighting the work of Ieshia document, inserting feminist
group Art + Feminism stages L.Evans, now well-known in concerns into the Japanese wiki
a campaign to add feminist the iconic photograph in which page.
knowledge to Wikipedia. This she stands up to state Students created their
year, students in Hemangini troopers in a protest Wikipedia interventions
Gupta’s class “Feminist against the killing of with the able assistance of
Foundations” added new Alton Sterling, found Middlebury College's Associate
Wikipedia pages or edited her Wiki entry rejected. Provost for Digital Learning,
existing ones to critically The comment stated Amy Collier. Through the
intervene in how questions that there was not enough session, they grappled with
of gender and sexuality are evidence to warrant Evans what it means to write
represented on the Internet. deserved her own Wiki page. "objectively," reflected on
One group who added a page A student group amended what kinds of knowledge are
highlighting the research the entry of a well– deemed worthy of a Wiki entry,
of Mexican–American known donor and immersed themselves in
historian Cynthia E. to Middlebury translation—between
Orozco are now in College, adding Spanish and English,
contact with her—she the often– Japanese and English,
had always wanted her concealed but also between
own Wiki page and allegations of his feminist and queer theory
is delighted to find involvement in sexual and a platform that demanded
herself represented in harassment. Yet another apolitical "facts." https://www.
one! Another student translated from a Japanese legal artandfeminism.org/
theory beyond Feminist or Queer issues. They ultimately decided
FEMINIST
Studies. By reading a variety of to frame the seminar around four
articles, participants from Religion, themes: affect, feminist and queer
PEDAGOGY
Anthropology, Luso-Hispanic geographies, science and technology
WORKSHOP Studies, Black Studies, Creative studies, and the question of method.
Writing, English and American In a moment in which Feminist
DURING J-TERM
Literatures, and Linguistics reflected and Queer Studies scholars are
on how these readings and related reflecting on questions of “use”
conversations are informing their and the lessons we can gain from
Thanks to funds provided by Art thinking and teaching more broadly. critically reflecting on our objects
Gensler, GSFS professors Hemangini One participant, for example, noted and the affects attached to them,
Gupta and Carly Thomsen co- that Mel Chen’s work on agitation, seminar participants are crafting
organized and facilitated a J-term which we read in our seminar, has short essays reflecting on how these
seminar on contemporary feminist transformed her work on zombies. conversations are “useful” more
and queer theory for eight faculty In choosing the readings, Professors broadly. Gupta and Thomsen are in
colleagues primarily located outside Gupta and Thomsen archived the process of threading these essays
of Gender Studies. Following Sara and analyzed all special issues of together into one collective article,
Ahmed’s formulation of “use,” the Feminist and Queer Studies journals which we hope will be published in
seminar centered on the question published in the last few years, a Feminist Studies journal.
of the “use” of feminist and queer noting themes that cut across the
5
female official of the National
Union of Public Employees and
L. A. Theatre
the first female President of the
Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Next, we meet Farida Azizi,
played by Laila Ayad, who was
Works Presents
born in Kabul, Afghanistan,
but had to flee to a refugee
camp in Pakistan after the
Soviet invasion. As a young
SEVEN
woman, Azizi sought out
opportunities to help others
in similar situations. Unlike
BY ANNIE BLALOCK ’20.5
male healthcare workers, Azizi
was permitted into Taliban-
On March 3 and 4, 2020, moment when the protagonists
controlled Afghanistan to
L.A. Theatre Works presented are confronted with social
provide medical treatment for
a performance of SEVEN at expectations enforced by
women. As a result, she came to
Wright Memorial Theatre. patriarchal systems but find
support women’s medical and
The production of this play themselves in a unique position
educational programs in the
was initiated by Liza Sacheli, to fight for justice. SEVEN
country, which she does to this
Director of the Mahaney Center expertly weaves anecdotes from
day.
for the Arts. The play was each character together into a
From Russia, we meet Marina
commissioned by Vital Voices, single tapestry.
Pisklakova-Parker, played
an organization that invests in The first character to
by Shannon Holt. Almost
women leaders who are solving introduce herself is Inez
immediately after appearing
the world’s greatest challenges. McCormack—played by Ellis
on stage, Holt as Pisklakova-
In 2006, Vital Voices connected Greer—from
seven female playwrights (Carol Northern
K. Mack, Anna Deavere Smith, Ireland.
Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Greer, playing
Gail Kriegel, Ruth Margraff, and McCormack,
Susan Yankowitz) with seven opened the
extraordinary female-identified show with
leaders to tell their life stories. a bouncing
The production consisted of a Irish accent
minimalist set with only seven and began
microphones spaced over two telling the
risers. The show opens with audience about
seven women walking to their her sheltered
respective microphone, inviting Protestant
the audience into the lives upbringing in
of their characters through the midst of a
Above: Wengel Kifle ‘20 with Maritxell Carrero,
intimate stories. These stories stark political
Laila Ayad, and Lovlee Carroll, members of the
relate confrontations with and religious
cast of SEVEN.
violence and oppression, while divide. She
simultaneously channeling came to marry
Parker picks up a ringing
the love and compassion each a Catholic and started attending
telephone, the only prop on
woman found within herself to protests eventually attacked by
stage, and begins comforting
work for others. loyalists. Inez McCormack went
a distressed woman who has
Each story includes a on to become the first full-time
6
been beaten by her husband. Pisklakova-Parker navigated legal labyrinths to advocate for those
explains how she began supporting women who without her skills and to put those abusing power
were experiencing violence at the hands of their in their place.
husbands. At the time, Russia lacked a vocabulary We travel from Guatemala to the U.S. to
for domestic violence because it was deemed a meet Hafsat Abiola, played by Sarah Hollis.
private matter. When answering the phone, Holt Hollis as Abiola describes a moment in her
perfectly articulates the struggle to discuss a topic student days at Harvard when she encounters
such as domestic violence within the cultural a protest against the wrongful imprisonment of
and linguistic bounds of Russian. Confronting Nigerian president-elect, Moshood Abiola. When
this matter head-on, Marina Piskalkova-Parker organizers of the protest approach her asking
founded the first hotline to help victims of for her support, she informs them that Moshood
domestic violence in Russia in 1993 which has Abiola is her father. Hollis as Abiola explains how
grown into a coalition of crisis centers called this event sparked her lifelong activism fighting
Center ANNA. for human and civil rights around the globe. She
Mu Shochua, played by Tess Lina, works with shares stories about the founding of the Kudirat
survivors of sex trafficking in Cambodia and Initiative for Democracy, which provides skill-
Thailand. Lina as Shochua spoke with great training and leadership opportunities for young
compassion about the women she helps. The women throughout Nigeria.
Middlebury auditorium was transformed as she And finally, SEVEN tells the story of Mukhtar
began to speak about her work, the violence Mai, played by Lovlee Carroll, a young woman
women face in sex trafficking and the barriers from Pakistan who was used as a pawn in an
they encounter when they escape. honor revenge gang rape. Carroll as Mai breathes
Next, we meet Anabella De Leon, played by devastation and determination into this story of
Maritxell Carrero, who wears a smart business triumph as she chronicles Mai’s life or death fight
suit and stands with her arms crossed and against normative gender roles and expectations.
shoulders back. Carrero’s portrayal of De Leon In the end, Mai received justice against her
perfectly embodies the “strictly-business” success attackers. She continues to work tirelessly for the
of this human rights lawyer. Switching in and education of women in her country.
out of Spanish, Carrero tells stories of De Leon’s SEVEN presents an unmatched method of
Guatemalan upbringing and how—against village storytelling that did justice to the life experiences
norms—she finished her education and received and achievements of these seven women. As an
a law degree. Growing up in poverty furnished added bonus, two of the actors visited Cheryl
De Leon with a passion to fight for human rights. Faraone’s “Contemporary Women Playwrights”
Using the privilege of her law degree and newly class to talk about their creative process.
found socioeconomic status, De Leon personally
Above: Cast members from SEVEN, Lovlee Carroll and Tess Lina, visiting
Cheryl Faraone’s “Theater and Social Change” class.
7
breaking of bread and the
serving of jamaica and yuca
to audience members. The
incorporation of food was an
integral part of the sisters’
performance as it fostered a
warm and inviting environment.
Members of the audience were
encouraged to partake in the
distribution and cooking of the
food which added to the warm
ambiance. In creating this
welcoming climate, the sisters
Above: Sisters Michel (left) and Lydela de Nonó, photo courtesy of the were able to discuss difficult
Ford Foundation. issues in an inclusive way.
Puerto Rico’s relationship
with food is political because
Las Nietas
insecure food supplies and
lack of access to food sources
impact the daily lives of Puerto
Ricans year round. Therefore,
the presence of food as a central
de Nonó
character in the performance
transcended a simple fostering
of community and served as a
reminder of how public access
to food can drive change and
bring people together.
As the performance
By Ariana Rios ’21 and
transitioned, Michel continued
Christian Kummer ’22 cooking and Lydela began
walking around the space with
a plant. Michel requested
On February 22nd, Las Nietas
de Nonó visited Middlebury
College and utilized a live
performance installation in
Coltrane Lounge to bring
awareness to systemic issues
in Puerto Rico that are often
rendered invisible due to the
territory’s detachment from the
coastal United States.
As students entered the
performance space, sisters
Lydela and Michel de Nonó
continued cooking food and
listening to music; the space
immediately felt intimate.
The event began with the
Above: Lydela de Nonó performing at Middlebury, photo courtesy of the
Middlebury Campus (Shirley Mao).
8
that the audience “hagan the prioritization of the plant they acknowledge the influence
espacio para la planta” (or, may have also called for the of previous generations
in English, make room for recognition of how humans of activists, establishing a
the plant) and proceeded need to disrupt their daily connection with the ancestors
to walk around the room, lives to fight for climate justice forms an integral part of their
forcing audience members to that will inherently protect the work. Understanding this
continuously move their chairs future of all species on earth. history centers Las Nietas’ art
and belongings to make space As if foreshadowing in a historical moment that has
for the plant. This interruption the Corona crisis, Lydela been created by prior years of
of the audience’s space served transitioned from walking community building.
as a possible metaphor for around the room with the plant At the end of their
how environmental injustice to travelling with a mask in her performance, Las Nietas de
can displace people from the raised hands. The wearing of Nonó presented a brief clip of
communities in which they feel the coconut and maracas mask one of their shows, in which
comfortable. Using a different represented a call to their Afro- they focus on storytelling to
lens to analyze this scene, Puerto Rican ancestors. As bring awareness to injustices
that people have faced in Puerto
Rico—forced sterilization,
food insecurity, and the prison
industrial complex—all at the
hands of the U.S. government.
After showcasing a part of
their work, they explained
how difficult it was for them to
break into the live performance
business. They did not have
access to the funding needed to
provide props, actors, lighting,
advertising, and the physical
space where they put on the
show. To work around this
struggle, Las Nietas de Nonó
presented their first shows in
their families’ living rooms
and eventually expanded into
the public sphere. The sisters
have labored to create their art
together and are continuing to
bring awareness and call people
to action to address the issues
impacting the people of Puerto
Above: Lydela de Nonó performing at Middlebury, photo courtesy of the Rico.
Middlebury Campus (Shirley Mao).
9
turning it into a more “feminine” movement.
Politicians such as Alice Weidel of the Alternative
Gender and
for Germany (AfD) and Marine Le Pen of the
National Rally party exemplify the feminization
of right-wing populism. Dr. Morgan argued
Right-Wing that this feminization was not orchestrated to
attract feminist or LGBTQ+ voters, but rather
constitutes an attempt to mainstream former
fringe parties and their anti-immigration and
Populism
Islamophobic ideology.
After presenting her thesis, Dr. Morgan
outlined the historical background of Western
in Western European politics and social movements from
1945 to 1975, which Dr. Morgan called the
“golden age of the welfare state.” During this
time, male breadwinners abounded and religious
Europe
observance was strict. Trade unions were
strong and only few women were found in the
workplace, which perpetuated traditional gender
roles. As anti-LGBTQ+ laws were in force until
A TALK BY
the 1990s, a concomitant representation was
absent from politics.
DR. KIMBERLY MORGAN
However, the 1970s brought about social
change—a decline in religious practice, an
BY ANNIE BLALOCK ‘20.5 increase in women’s employment, and,
aided by quota laws, in female parliamentary
On March 2, 2020, Dr. Kimberly Morgan, a representation. The radical populist right
professor of political science and international emerged in the 1980s and got its start by
affairs at George Washington University, gave appealing to people’s sense of national identity.
a talk titled “Gender and the Mainstreaming To this day, the parties welcome voters who
of Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe.” remain conservative on issues of women’s and
Dr. Morgan described how countries in this LGBTQ+ rights and immigration. Dr. Morgan
region have consistently achieved high scores for referenced Jean-Marie Le Pen, the former leader
promoting gender of French National Front, who represents a
equality and far-right, Catholic milieu and who compares
LGBTQ+ rights, abortion to genocide. The populist right is a
according to platform predominately supported by men and
the World those with the least progressive views on women
Economic and LGBTQ+ issues. Over the last few years, this
Forum. population is actually declining, however, and the
The conservative supporter base for the populist right
popularity is becoming less conservative.
of these In response to this social shift, the far-right has
socially strategically mainstreamed its political trajectory
progressive to gain leverage without fundamentally changing
ideas has its base. The party signals its social acceptability
shifted the surface by operating within the bounds of a national
appearance of right- normative consensus and defending femininity,
Above: French far-right
politican Marine Le Pen, wing populism in not feminism, to attack issues of immigration.
photo courtesy of the Western Europe, One case study presented by Dr. Morgan
Telegraph.
10
focused on the gendered attacks
on Muslim immigrants in France Left:
in the 2000s. Previously, the German far-right politician
Alice Weidel, photo courtesy of
government acted indifferently
Wikimedia Commons.
toward minority women,
but the headscarf became a Dr. Morgan summarized
symbol of fundamentalism that these parties only
and the melding of church discuss women’s and
and state. Throughout LGBTQ+ rights in the
Western Europe, right- context of debates
wing populist parties over immigration, as
have insisted that a ban demonstrated in France.
on headscarves would The tactics of right-wing
actually protect Muslim populists to nominate
women from barbaric women as party leaders
husbands and misogynistic exemplifies the utilization of
fathers who use Islam as an femininity for political appeal
excuse to oppress women. By as a signal of acceptable social
painting Islamophobia as gender progress. This reframing of
equality for their political gain, generally traditional conservative
right-wing populist parties pursue the views has increased the popularity of right-wing
same xenophobic goals, albeit with new, more populism in Western Europe.
socially acceptable motivations and tactics.
Above: Supporters of France’s far-right party National Rally, photo courtesy of Reuters.
