During the historic protests of 2020, “Abolition Now” was a central demand forwarded by Black and queer-led social movements. But what is abolition? What is its significance as a theory of change, a body of scholarship, and as a practice? This course explores how leading abolitionist and feminist thinkers theorize the state, punishment, criminalization, the root causes of violence, and the meaning of safety. It explores the historical genealogies of abolitionist thought and practice in relation to shifting forms of racial, gendered and economic violence. Students will analyze the works of formerly enslaved and free Black abolitionists, prison writings during the Black Power Era as well as canonical scholarly texts in the field. A central focus of the course is contemporary abolitionist feminist thought. The course is conceptually grounded in Black and queer feminisms, and features works by Indigenous, South Asian women and other women of colour.