Feminist Waves / Ableist Undercurrents: Narrating the Felt Politics of Canada's Women's Movement

Hosted by the Feminist Governance in Times of Crisis Working Group, Professor Orsini’s presentation will draw from his current SSHRC-funded project on the ableist roots of progressive social movements, beginning with the feminist movement.

Canada has a storied history of feminist activism. Recently, however, these trail-blazing efforts have been challenged by the realization that feminist activism included steadfast support for eugenics policies, including the sterilization of “feeble-minded” women and Indigenous women.

Reviewing feminist archives, including key documents and literature produced by feminist organizations, this presentation narrates a history of feminist contention that accounts for the complex relationship between feminism, race, and disability. I am concerned here with bridging the study of social movements with the idea of ableism itself as laden with emotions, “a felt politics” that dots the emotional landscape of feminist contestation across multiple waves of action.

Following the talk, Professor Orsini will lead a conversation with interested graduate students on some of the methodological challenges associated with doing “messy” research that draws on interpretive, feminist or critical frameworks.