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

Stone butch blues is an historical fiction novel written by Leslie Feinberg on living as a butch lesbian in 1970’s America. Although fictionalised, the work is also inspired by Feinberg’s own life, who describes it as a call for action. It is frequently discussed as a difficult but essential work to LGBT communities, as it “never shies away from portraying the antisemitism, classism, homophobia, anti-butch animosity, and transphobia that the protagonist Jess Goldberg faced on a daily basis -  but it also shows the healing power of love and political activism”. 

Leslie Feinberg (1949 – 2014) was an American transgender activist and author who, through her work, particularly Stone butch blues and Transgender Warriors, laid the groundwork for much of the terminology and awareness raround gender studies and was instrumental in bringing these issues to a more mainstream audience.