2017 Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Genders and Sexualities

June 01 - 04, 2017

Although most general historical surveys now integrate at least some gender analysis into their narratives, conveying the complex relationship between normative systems of gender division and attitudes towards sexuality to undergraduates remains a challenge. Rather than making it clear that the creation of a binary opposition between the genders is an historical creation that also needs explanation, survey courses tend to confine discussions of gender and sexuality to separate lectures that can be read by students as marginal and therefore unimportant side stories. The participants in this round table have all written textbooks that aim to disrupt this tendency by revealing the degree to which all political life is infused with assumptions about gender and sex. But even those of us committed to this perspective find it challenging to encourage other teachers of historical surveys to integrate these insights into their courses. What readings and strategies are most successful? How hard should we try to convince those who remain comfortable with a gender-polarized world to be more open to investigating the influence of gendered norms on political change? Or should we simply target students already interested in these subjects? How important is it to insist upon destabilizing the world of sexual binaries through an historical investigation of norms of sexual comportment and alliance? Should we insist upon an appreciation of fluidities and queerness? Although each of the participants have made statements on these questions in their books, the discussion here will focus on strategies for teaching and eliciting student engagement.