Ask a Feminist

Apr 24 2024 11 ep. 48 mins 257

Ask a Feminist Podcast artwork

Ask a Feminist, a podcast from Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society (http://signsjournal.org), features interviews with leading feminist thinkers on feminist issues raised by some aspect of current political life or social justice issue. This allows Signs to create an ongoing conversation between and among feminist scholars, media activists, and community leaders, enhancing the journal’s role as a transitive space, percolating in and between the space of intellectual production and activist engagement. Ask a Feminist is part of the Signs Feminist Public Intellectuals Project (http://signsjournal.org/feminist-public-intellectuals-project/).

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Public Feminism, a Conversation with Marcie Bianco and Andi Zeisler

Ask a Feminist is back after a long hiatus with an episode about the current state of public feminism! Signs editor Suzanna Walters is joined by Marcie Bianco and Andi Zeisler. Andi is the cofounder of Bitch Media and the author of the book We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrl to CoverGirl, and Marcie is the author of Breaking Free: The Lie of Equality and the Feminist Fight for

Reproduction in the Age of Epigenetics, a Conversation with Rene Almeling, Sarah Richardson, and Natali Valdez

Apr 19 2022 46 mins

Three esteemed feminist science-studies scholars—Sarah Richardson, Rene Almeling, and Natali Valdez—discuss reproduction in the age of epigenetics. They offer a critical appraisal of recent developments in the much-hyped field of epigenetics, particularly as those developments have focused on reproduction. Their discussion provides a crucial corrective as the biological science

Jennifer Fluri Discusses the Gender Politics of the US Withdrawal from Afghanistan with Sandra McEvoy

Feb 08 2022 57 mins

On this episode, Sandra McEvoy speaks to Jennifer Fluri about what the United States’s withdrawal from Afghanistan means for Afghan women and for the feminist movement in Afghanistan. Jennifer’s expertise as a geographer and her transnational feminist perspective are sorely needed in this perilous moment. As the withdrawal was under way, we heard familiar concerns--voiced by pu

Susan Stryker discusses Trans Studies, Trans Feminism, and a More Trans Future with V Varun Chaudhry

Apr 22 2021 45 mins

A conversation about the field of trans studies between V Varun Chaudhy and Susan Stryker. V is an assistant professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Brandeis and a member of the Signs board of associate editors. Susan is a founding editor of the journal TSQ and a major figure in the development of trans studies as a field. In the interview, they discuss the social

Patricia Williams Discusses Rage and Humor as an Act of Disobedience with Carla Kaplan and Durba Mitra

Feb 22 2021 43 mins

Patricia J. Williams, the renowned feminist theorist and legal scholar joins Carla Kaplan and Durba Mitra, two of the coeditors of the upcoming special issue of Signs on “Rage,” to talk about the multiple crises we face at the current moment, from Donald Trump’s cruel legacy of misogyny and racism to the failures of market-based approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also

Eesha Pandit and Paula Moya Discuss Activism and the Academy with Carla Kaplan and Suzanna Walters

Dec 17 2019 37 mins

Activist, writer, and advocate Eesha Pandit and professor of English Paula Moya discuss the relationship between feminist scholarship and feminist activism, and how feminist activists and scholars can best support one another's work. What makes a good ally? How can we build systems of accountability among and between scholars and activists? How can we most productively use identity

Byllye Avery Discusses the Past and Future of Reproductive Justice with Susan Reverby

Nov 12 2019 37 mins

Byllye Avery, cofounder of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, speaks to historian Susan Reverby about her activist work, beginning in the 1970s, to increase women’s access to abortion. She discusses the state of reproductive rights before and after Roe v. Wade, the genesis of the “reproductive justice” movement, and the tactics that might be needed in a post-Roe future.

Deborah Anker Discusses Gender and Asylum Law with Aziza Ahmed

Aug 14 2019 33 mins

How has feminism shaped US asylum law? Why and how is the Trump Administration trying to undo feminist gains? Hear asylum- and refugee-law expert Deborah Anker discuss the history and present of gender in the US asylum system in the latest episode of Ask a Feminist. Anker is the founder and director of the Harvard Law School Immigration and Refugee Law Clinical Program and is one o

Soraya Chemaly Discusses Feminist Rage, with Carla Kaplan and Durba Mitra

Apr 23 2019 45 mins

Feminist journalist, media critic, and activist Soraya Chemaly joins Carla Kaplan and Durba Mitra for an in-depth discussion of feminist rage. Their wide-raging conversation covers many aspects of contemporary women’s rage: the Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation process, the furor over Serena Williams’s US Open final, and how to differentiate progressive anger from the reacti

Cynthia Enloe Discusses Gender and the Rise of the Global Right with Agnieszka Graff, Ratna Kapur, and Suzanna Danuta Walters

Sep 12 2018 77 mins

Renowned scholar and activist Cynthia Enloe (Research Professor at Clark University) sits down with the coeditors of the forthcoming Signs special issue "Gender and the Rise of the Global Right"--Agnieszka Graff, Ratna Kapur, and Suzanna Danuta Walters--to analyze the relationship between gender and the increasing prominence of right-wing political figures and parties around the gl