Education Initiatives

Gender and Sexuality Workshops at Colleges:
One of our ongoing initiatives is a series of workshops at colleges throughout Chennai as part of our general community outreach. We have constructed the workshop as a series of hour-length sessions--we can adjust the length depending on the needs of the institution, but typically our workshops last between two and four sessions. Through these workshops we aim to address gender, sexuality, and subaltern theory as a way of introducing students to issues of critical social analysis and political action from a feminist and queer perspective. Unlike our other workshops, these sessions will cover academic theory in depth. Among the topics we cover are:

The social construction of gender, the performance of gender roles in society, and the complexities of gender identity
Patriarchy as the mechanism of reproducing and regulating gendered inequality
Sexuality: practices, identity, and heteronormativity as a relational practice of power
Sexual and reproductive health (both from a practical perspective and as an analysis of the medicalization of sexuality)
Media and popular culture as sites where meanings attached to sexuality and gender are produced and renegotiated
Post-coloniality and subaltern theory as routes to addressing practices and constructions of gender and sexuality in India

If you are interested in bringing one of our workshops to your institution, please contact us at t hefolks@shakticenter.org.

Workshops on Sex Education, Community Action, Self-Defense, and Solidarity Building:

Among our other community-building initiatives, we also plan to conduct ongoing workshops on specific issues within the fields of gender and sexuality for the general population in Chennai. These in-depth interactive workshops and educational sessions generally last between one and three sessions over a weekend, and focus on several themes. The key to these sessions is open and safe communication—and having fun! Here are some of the topics we’ll be focusing on in upcoming sessions:

Negotiating choice and consent within a sexual relationship
Gender and Sexuality 101: A basic introduction to critical theory
Safe sex practices and the prevention of disease
Self-defense: a practical guide to addressing and protecting yourself from sexual and gender-based violence
Identity and community-building among the activist community and across different populations
Building action plans for resistance and political action

If you have any ideas or suggestions for workshops, or want to run one yourself, please contact us at thefolks@shakticenter.org. And stay tuned to the website for updates on the workshop schedule!

Performances, Meet-and-Greet Parties, Panel Discussions, Invited Speakers:
In addition to our other ongoing initiatives, we also love doing one-off events—just to keep everyone on their toes! We plan to sponsor performances, themed panel events, and invited speakers at both our office and other external venues. We also get a big kick out of doing more informal events: parties, meet-and-greets, coffee shop evenings, and anything else that gets people together and gets them talking. Keep checking back to the website for more information on upcoming events!