Zines, pronounced as “zeens,” are unique, self-made publications that have played a significant role in feminist and queer practices. Our project aimed to introduce zine making to the classroom at Durham Law School as a tool for critical engagement with issues pertaining to law and gender. The students enthusiastically created their own zines, which were then showcased at a UK-wide zine fest hosted by our project. It was an opportunity to celebrate their creative endeavors and stimulate meaningful conversations surrounding these topics.
On this website you can see the zine made by the Durham Law Students (here), the zines that were showcased at the zine fest (here), and the teaching material we used (to be uploaded soon).
This project was initially funded by a Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD) Innovation Grant: Zine making as a pedagogical tool for transformative learning in Law in November 2022.
The project aimed to bring the underutilized practice of zine creation to Durham Law School and explore the potential transformative benefit to the students by drawing on zine history and ethos to connect students’ own experience and perspectives directly with the feminist theory and practice discussed in LGS. By producing zines collaboratively, it was hoped that students would encounter different ideas and assumptions from their peers and have a rare opportunity to learn in a way that is outside the individual and adversarial techniques common in the study of Law.
Aims and Objectives:
Our overarching aim is to facilitate transformative learning by helping students to connect decades of feminist theory with contemporary issues relevant to their individual experience and perspectives. Speaking to this aim, our objectives are:
