Ireh Iyioha: If God Was a Woman

​Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been postponed until further notice. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to cfls@allard.ubc.ca.

​Zoom Link: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/63501840195?pwd=ZUdJQVhoeTVsMG9DekhTZzAyZnEzQT09

​The Centre for Feminist Legal Studies welcomes Dr. Ireh Iyioha. She will be giving her talk titled If God Was a Woman: Acts of God, Hybrid Disasters, and the Boundaries of Vulnerability – Towards a Theory.

​Women—especially those at the intersection of various metrics of social stratification, including race and class—are disproportionately impacted by disasters, such as public health disasters. While the gendered nature of disasters and women’s special vulnerability to disaster impact is well articulated, use of the term “vulnerable” to describe those who—due to various metrics—are particularly susceptible to harm is itself contested. As the idea of the universal vulnerable subject promises to transcend the limits of anti-discrimination law and identity-based politics, this talk asks: What does it mean to be vulnerable and therefore entitled to law’s special protections? And what do the non-neutral impacts of disasters reveal about the structure and limits of the idea of universal vulnerability?