The Readings in Feminist and Gender Studies Series is an initiative of the Doctoral Programme in Feminist Studies (FLUC/ CES), which aims to read literary works written by women authors from all over the world, from the perspective of feminist and gender theories.

This first series will be coordinated by Feminist Studies PhD candidates Fabrina Souza and Iuri Lopes.

The meetings will be held monthly, whenever possible on the first Wednesday of each month, lasting up to two hours and taking place at CES|Alta premises. Participation is free and open to everyone in the UC community, but prior registration is required [HERE].

The titles for discussion are initially suggested by the coordinators or participants, and are then shared at the meetings and on the Series' website. Registered participants will receive copies of the selected texts (whenever possible) by e-mail.

The talk will be in Portuguese, and it is up to the participants to choose the copy (and translation) they prefer.

The texts to be discussed in subsequent sessions will be announced according to the interests of those participating.

If you have any queries, please contact fabrinasouza@ces.uc.pt

About the session

In her book Le féminisme décolonial (A Decolonial Feminism), Françoise Vergés denounces the normalised oppression and exploitation of the labour of millions of racialised women who make life in neoliberal society possible on a daily basis: maids and domestic workers, for example. An exploitation legitimised by violence and contempt that keeps these poorly paid women generally in part-time jobs, at dawn or at night, exposed to toxic products and heavy loads because they are considered unskilled, when in fact they are bodies marked by race and gender, which reveals Western society's colonial and slave-owning past.

Françoise Vergès (1952-) is a French intellectual, author and activist renowned for her critical analysis of colonialism, feminism and racial politics. Vergès has produced texts that address the historical impact of colonialism, the dynamics of racial oppression and the need for a decolonial feminism.