Dialogic Talks and Photographic Narration: Strategies for University Teaching With a Gender Perspective

Introduction

Currently, the levels of gender violence are unsustainable in a society that upholds the principles of respect, coexistence and justice. Despite the progress in the fight for women’s rights and gender equality and the promulgation of laws such as the recent Organic Law 10/2022, of September 6 about comprehensive guarantee of sexual freedom in Spain, the gender violence continues to prevail. This problem persists due to the influence of various interconnected factors, such as the persistence of gender norms and stereotypes rooted in society, social and economic inequality, among others.

In this context, it is essential to highlight the meaningful contributions of Judith Butler to the field of gender studies. Her approach to the problem of gender violence is based on her theory of gender performativity and her criticism of binary and heteronormative gender norms. Butler maintains that gender violence arises as a direct consequence of the imposition of these restrictive norms, and she advocates challenging them and working towards a more inclusive society free of gender violence (Cano, 2021). From the perspective of gender studies, gender violence is conceived as a manifestation of structural and systematic violence that perpetuates and reinforces the aforementioned gender norms (Butler, 2017).

Likewise, it is important to emphasize that the features of contemporary society, characterized by immersion in new technologies, social networks and artificial intelligence, have led to the appearance of events related to gender violence in new digital contexts. In this sense, prominent researchers have highlighted the close relationship between technology and gender violence, pointing out how these digital tools can facilitate and perpetuate gender violence and harassment (for example, Baym, 2006; Criado-Pérez, 2020; Franks, 2022).

Therefore, the problem of gender violence requires a comprehensive approach that involves all spheres of society for its treatment and prevention. In this context, education plays a key role, and it is seen as essential to adopt a cross-curricular and intersectional approach, which in the case of Spain still represents a pending challenge (Barriuso-Ortega et al., 2022; Garzón Fernández, 2016). In this sense, the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education emerges as a crucial educational approach. This is not limited only to providing information on biological and reproductive aspects, but also addresses psychosocial issues, sexual diversity, and the promotion of gender equality. These elements are necessary to integrate into the educational curriculum and offer a comprehensive vision that contributes to combating gender violence from its roots.

At the same time, the inclusion of the gender perspective in university teaching is positioned as a crucial element, since it promotes critical reflection about power relations and gender inequalities (Salazar, 2021). From this perspective, university students can acquire an understanding of the roots and dynamics of gender violence, while developing skills to analyze and address this problem both in their immediate environment and in their future careers as teachers. Previous research focused on feminist teaching (García-Cano et al., 2022; García-Cano et al., 2023) has explored the influence of equality policies on teaching innovation, offering revealing conclusions that range from opportunity and opportunism.