Transnational Feminist Pedagogy: An Interview with Inderpal Grewal and Caren Kaplan

Abstract

This article presents an interview with Inderpal Grewal and Caren Kaplan, authors of the influential textbook *An Introduction to Women’s Studies: Gender in a Transnational World*. The interview explores the inspiration behind their work, which emerged from gaps observed in postcolonial studies and feminist studies during the 1980s. The authors highlight the limitations of Cold War-era “area studies” and the American exceptionalist nationalism prevalent in feminist scholarship at the time. Their textbook aims to integrate transnational feminist pedagogy into Women’s Studies curricula, emphasizing the interconnectedness of gender with race, nationalism, religion, and colonialisms. The reception of their work has been mixed, reflecting ongoing debates about the role of nation-states, the universal figure of woman, and the critique of empire in feminist studies. Grewal and Kaplan discuss pedagogical techniques that integrate transnational feminism as a methodological approach rather than an add-on topic. They also address challenges in teaching political theory and modernity within their framework. The interview concludes by examining how neoliberal pressures on public education have impacted Women’s Studies classrooms, shifting focus from democratic participation to job-oriented training.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)