The most impactful readings to me this semester were Judith Butler: Gender Trouble, José Esteban Muñoz: Disidentifications, and Toni Morrison: Playing in the Dark. All three readings offered very different perspectives and approaches on identity. Butler taught me about gender being a construct and a performance which is used to reinforce the power of the patriarchy. Muñoz taught me a lot about navigating the world of dominant heteronormativity and finding a safe but comfortable place in it. Morrison challenged me to think about the context of identity and how identities relate to and affect each other. I have learned so much this semester. I think a major element that I would add to my former definition of feminism is an emphasis on never mimicking the oppressor in order to gain power. That strategy perpetuates the systemic oppression in place and is not an effective method to empowering others.
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