"Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analyzing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. (...) Its rise to prominence, especially in Western universities after 1990, coincided with the rise of deconstruction."
This subfield studies the intersectionality of gender, sexuality, and race and their implications in Canadian society.
Historical Context: The study of Gender and Sexuality in Canada requires an understanding of the historical context surrounding gender and sexuality. This includes examining the social, cultural, and political factors that have contributed to the current understanding of gender and sexuality in Canada.
Sex, Gender, and Sexuality: Understanding the differences between sex, gender and sexuality is critical in Gender and Sexuality Studies. It is important to comprehend the distinctions between these terms, as well as their intersections and how they shape our identities, experiences and culture.
Feminism and Women's Studies: Feminism is a critical component of Gender and Sexuality Studies. It explores the intersection of gender and power and how patriarchal beliefs and systems have contributed to the subordination of women. Women's Studies examines women's roles, contributions, and perspectives in society.
Masculinity and Men's Studies: Masculinity and Men's Studies critically analyze the social construction of masculinity as well as the ways in which patriarchy harms men.
Race, Ethnicity, and Indigenous Studies: Gender and Sexuality Studies are intersectional, which means that they intersect with other identity markers such as race, ethnicity, and Indigeneity. This intersection shapes and impacts the experiences of individuals and groups.
Queer and Trans Studies: Queer and Trans Studies investigate the gender and sexuality diversity that exists beyond heterosexuality and cis-gendered identities. These fields examine the social construction of queer and trans identities and the resistance and struggles of these communities.
Sexuality and Reproductive Health: Explores how gender and sexuality impact issues of sexual and reproductive health such as contraception, abortion, and sexually transmitted infections.
Violence Against Women: This critical field explores the various forms of violence against women and highlights the ways in which gender and power intersect to produce and maintain this violence.
LGBTQ+ Rights and Activism: This field examines the history and struggles of LGBTQ+ movements, exploring the various tactics and strategies used by activists to achieve legal, social and cultural change.
Intersectionality and Social Justice: Examining intersectionality as an analytical tool to understand how various systems of oppression interact and shape individuals' lived experiences is important in Gender and Sexuality Studies. Social justice actions and movements provide strategies for dismantling oppressive systems and creating equitable and just societies.
Women's Studies: Focused primarily on the experiences, struggles, and achievements of women, both historically and contemporarily, in different contexts.
Men's Studies: Focuses on the experiences and opportunities of men, including masculinity, gender roles, and men's health issues.
Gender and Sexuality Studies: Explores the social construction and performance of gender and sexuality, including non-binary identities and the intersections between gender, sexuality, race, class, and ability.
Queer Studies: Examines the experiences and representation of individuals who identify as queer, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals.
Transgender Studies: Focuses on the experiences and identities of transgender individuals, including discrimination, medicalization, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries.
Feminist Studies: Analyzes the gender roles and power dynamics inherent in social, political, economic, and cultural structures, as well as the ways in which individuals can challenge and change patriarchal systems.
Women's History and Women's Writing: Examines the contributions of women to areas such as literature, science, politics, and the arts, and the ways in which their work has been overlooked or undervalued.
LGBTQ2S+ Studies: Explores the experiences, challenges, and historical contributions of individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, and others.
Intersectionality Studies: Focuses on the experiences and struggles of individuals who experience multiple forms of oppression, including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and economic injustice.
Indigenous Gender and Sexuality Studies: Explores the ways in which gender and sexuality have been constructed and understood differently in Indigenous communities, including the role of two-spirit individuals.
"Disciplines that frequently contribute to gender studies include the fields of literature, linguistics, human geography, history, political science, archaeology, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, cinema, musicology, media studies, human development, law, public health, and medicine."
"Gender studies also analyzes how race, ethnicity, location, social class, nationality, and disability intersect with the categories of gender and sexuality."
"In gender studies, the term 'gender' is often used to refer to the social and cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity, rather than biological aspects of the male or female sex."
"However, this view is not held by all gender scholars."
"Gender is pertinent to many disciplines, such as literary theory, drama studies, film theory, performance theory, contemporary art history, anthropology, sociology, sociolinguistics, and psychology."
"However, these disciplines sometimes differ in their approaches to how and why gender is studied."
"In politics, gender can be viewed as a foundational discourse that political actors employ in order to position themselves on a variety of issues."
"Feminist theory of psychoanalysis, articulated mainly by Julia Kristeva and Bracha L. Ettinger, and informed both by Freud, Lacan and the object relations theory, is very influential in gender studies."
"The field now overlaps with queer studies and men's studies."
"Gender studies also analyzes how race, ethnicity, location, social class, nationality, and disability intersect with the categories of gender and sexuality."
"Its rise to prominence, especially in Western universities after 1990, coincided with the rise of deconstruction."
"Its rise to prominence, especially in Western universities after 1990, coincided with the rise of deconstruction."
"Gender studies also analyzes how race, ethnicity, location, social class, nationality, and disability intersect with the categories of gender and sexuality."
"Disciplines that frequently contribute to gender studies include the fields of literature, linguistics, human geography, history, political science, archaeology, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, cinema, musicology, media studies, human development, law, public health, and medicine."
"Gender studies is also a discipline in itself, incorporating methods and approaches from a wide range of disciplines."
"Many fields came to regard 'gender' as a practice, sometimes referred to as something that is performative."
"Gender studies also analyzes how race, ethnicity, location, social class, nationality, and disability intersect with the categories of gender and sexuality."
"Its rise to prominence, especially in Western universities after 1990, coincided with the rise of deconstruction."
"Feminist theory of psychoanalysis, articulated mainly by Julia Kristeva and Bracha L. Ettinger, and informed both by Freud, Lacan and the object relations theory, is very influential in gender studies."