Thinking Gender 2025: Read, Watch, Listen
This year’s Thinking Gender theme, “Gendered Labors and Transnational Solidarities,” highlights the rich repertoire of organizing strategies as well as contemporary and historical examples of campaigns led by precarious workers around the world. We’ve compiled a list of books, podcasts, and more to help you unpack our Thinking Gender 2025 theme to begin reflecting upon the meanings of labor solidarity and care to imagine a more livable society!
Organizing at the Margins, Jennifer Jihye Chun
“Combining original theoretical insights and rigorous comparisons, Chun takes us to the crucible of contemporary labor movements in the United States and South Korea and showcases the unexpected political and symbolic leverages wielded by some of the most marginalized, low-paid service workers. A beacon of hope for labor movements worldwide and a remarkable scholarly achievement, this book is a must-read for sociologists, activists, and the concerned public.” – Ching Kwan Lee, UCLA
Feminism for the Americas, Katherine M. Marino
“This book highlights the global women’s rights movement in the early 20th century, focusing on Latin American and Caribbean women who played key roles. It follows six dynamic activists, including Bertha Lutz from Brazil and Ofelia Domínguez Navarro from Cuba, who formed a Pan-American network advocating for women’s suffrage, equal pay, and maternity rights. Their work helped enshrine women’s rights in the United Nations Charter, though it also exposed lasting divisions among feminists across class, race, and national lines.” – UNC Press
Re: Work, UCLA Labor Center
Re:Work elevates stories of work and activism to humanize economic and racial justice issues. Each episode highlights the life story of a worker or activist, centering people of the global majority through interviews, music, and archival tape. Produced by Veena Hampapur and Saba Waheed, Re:Work also trains community producers and students in multimedia storytelling.
The Last Story of Mina Lee, Nancy Jooyoun Kim
“I’m a big fan of fiction, and it was hard to choose one. The Last Story of Mina Lee’ takes us through LA’s Koreatown, weaving between past and present to unravel a mystery. This debut novel explores family bonds, the immigrant and labor experience, and the struggles of those building a new life in America. Discover Koreatown through this familial story.” – Saba Waheed, UCLA Labor Center Director
The Silver Women, Joan Flores-Villalobos
“The Silver Women shifts the focus of the Panama Canal’s construction to the essential role of Black West Indian women, whose labor in feeding, housing, and caring for the workforce made the project possible. Joan Flores-Villalobos highlights how these women navigated racial discrimination, built resilient communities, and developed strategies of survival and resistance, all while shaping the Caribbean diaspora and U.S. imperialism.” – University of Pennsylvania Press
Halmoni, Dir. Anna Oh
“My personal favorite film,” HALMONI (“Grandmother”) follows a 24-year-old undocumented immigrant rights activist as he struggles to understand his own identity and the deep sense of responsibility he feels toward his family after he receives special permission from the U.S. government to visit his ailing grandmother in South Korea.” – Ju Hong, UCLA Dream Resource Center Director
Journal of a Black Queer Nurse, Britney Daniels
“For readers interested in funny and engaging memoirs, and anyone who wonders what it’s like to work in an ER as a nurse. Daniels not only gives us a window onto nursing, but shows us how racism, sexism, and homophobia (from both patients and doctors) affects her work.” – Loretta Gaffney, UCLA Labor Studies Lecturer
No Más Bebés, Virginia Espino (Producer) & Renee Tajima-Peña (Director)
No Más Bebés tells the powerful story of Mexican immigrant mothers in Los Angeles who were coerced into sterilization during the 1960s and 70s. These women fought back, filing a landmark civil rights lawsuit that highlighted their struggle for reproductive justice. The documentary sheds light on this pivotal moment in history, revealing the ongoing fight for Chicana rights and bodily autonomy.
We hope you will join us to hear more about these themes at the 2025 Thinking Gender Conference on March 7, 2025!
