Resistant Readings: the podcast for learning to read works of literature critically and with commitment. Listen to it in the UOC Library
Subject: Arts and humanities
What happens when we adopt the gender perspective when reading works of literature that depict violence against women and girls?
Type "Resistant Readings" in the Library's search engine and you'll discover the transformative power of critical interpretation!
Have you ever stopped to think about the stereotypes, taboos and forms of violence against women which are reflected in literature? How can we read these texts with a critical perspective, especially in university classrooms? In response, the GRESOL (Literature Studies Group) research group has launched the Resistant Readings podcast series, which provides models for literary interpretation with a gender perspective. You can listen to all the episodes in the UOC Library.
The name of the project is inspired by the concept of resistant reading, formulated by the literary critic Judith Fetterley. It involves reading the text counter to its inherent ideology, and questioning the patriarchal imaginaries that can be hidden behind beautiful words, appealing rhetorical formulas and captivating stories. The aim of the podcasts – and of the Resistant Readings project in general – is to provide the university community and members of the public who enjoy reading with a conceptual framework and a language for reinterpreting literature from a new, critical and transformative perspective.
The podcast covers some key titles in Catalan and global literature:
The episodes are available in Catalan, and in Spanish and English in some cases. The commentaries have been prepared by teaching staff and university students working in the field of literary studies.
The collection will gradually expand to include new episodes.
How can you listen to the podcasts?
Accessing the podcasts is very simple. In the UOC Library, simply type "Resistant Readings" in the search engine and the first result will take you directly to the special collection with all the podcast episodes. You can also find the episodes by clicking on the "Special collections" tab in the top menu of the search engine, and selecting UOC podcasts / Resistant Readings.
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The podcasts are also available on the leading platforms:
A research project to foster transformative reading
The Resistant Readings project is an initiative by the GRESOL research group and is based on the conviction that "by fostering reading that is capable of going beyond preconceived ideas and androcentric interpretative standards which are often accepted uncritically, a literary text can become a genuine school of life in the construction of gender equality", explained Teresa Iribarren, a professor in the UOC's Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the coordinator of the project.
The first phase of the project began with the publication of the guide Literatura i violències masclistes. Guia per a treballs acadèmics (Literature and gender violence. A guide for academic studies), a resource providing guidance for students when writing bachelor's and master's degree final projects on the literary representation of gender violence. In this second phase, the project is completed with the launch of the Resistant Readings portal, which includes the podcast series and other academic content.
The project has been supported by the Interuniversity Council of Catalonia, as a beneficiary of the innovation grants for the improvement of teaching quality in the field of gender violence (INDOVIG 2023).
