Princeton University Introduces Controversial Course on Gender and Gaza
Next spring, Princeton University will offer a new seminar entitled “Gender, Reproduction, and Genocide,” which takes a critical approach to the ongoing situation in Gaza. The course description states that it will analyze the concept of genocide through a gendered lens.
According to the university’s website, the seminar aims to examine how genocidal actions specifically target areas like reproductive rights, family structures, and community resiliency. It combines various theoretical perspectives, including decolonial and feminist frameworks.
This class is part of Princeton’s broader programs in Anthropology, Gender Studies, and Sexuality.
The course will encourage students to engage with issues surrounding reproductive justice, survivor narratives, and critiques from Palestinian feminists regarding colonial violence. Additionally, it places the situation in Gaza alongside historical events like the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide.
Students will also have the opportunity to interact with prominent feminist scholars. One of these scholars is Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, an Israeli academic who gained attention for her criticisms of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza. She previously resigned from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem amidst controversy.
Shalhoub-Kevorkian is noted for her scholarly focus on the brutality of settler-colonial states and has faced backlash in Israel for her outspokenness, particularly concerning reports of sexual violence related to attacks by Hamas in early October 2023.
In a historical context, former President Donald Trump successfully brokered a peace deal on the conflict’s second anniversary, which included critical components like a ceasefire and the return of hostages held in Gaza under poor conditions. Following this agreement, Trump received a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Princeton’s President, Christopher L. Eisgruber, emphasized the university’s commitment to academic freedom in communications surrounding the course. Meanwhile, Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s role as a visiting scholar is set to conclude next July, although she has not commented on this matter.
