Sex and Socialism

Among the major promises made by socialism and communism was the liberation of women from an imperialist, capitalist, and patriarchal world. How did these promises hold up in the face of the realities of revolution and state formation? This course explores the relationship between gender, sex, and sexuality within the state socialist polities of the 20th century. Topics include diversity in barricades and workplaces, motherhood and reproductive rights, medicine and sexology, incarceration and state violence, and homosexuality and gender non-conformity.