Gender pronoun use in the university classroom : a post-humanist perspective
Abstract
Background: This article explores the political impact of using gender neutral pronouns in the
university classroom.
Aim: We explore how the gender neutral pronoun ‘they’ denaturalises essentialist models of
gender identity. We follow ‘they’ toward a consideration of the gender neutral pronoun ‘it.’ ‘It’
advances – at the same time that it problematises – the political project of non-binary
communities to denaturalise gender by challenging an anthropocentric model of equal rights.
Setting: We examine the latent humanism of pronoun use through our contrasting approaches
to gender pronoun use in our writing courses.
Methods: First we discuss the role of genderneutral pronouns in building a more inclusive
classroom environment for gender non-conforming students. We then consider our respective
pedagogical approaches to pronoun use. Andrew avoids pronoun use in the classroom,
addressing his students by their first names instead, while Marcos makes pronoun use and
gender identity a central part of his course curriculum. We then consider the pronoun ‘it’ from
a posthumanist perspective, arguing that ‘it’ might help to overcome the violent legacy of
humanism by building a more inclusive classroom environment for gender-nonconforming
students.
Results: The analysis of ‘it’ as a gender neutral pronoun has revolutionary potential.
Deconstructing our conceptions of equal rights from a posthumanist perspective can transform
higher education for the better.
Conclusion: The article concludes that college educators should consider discussing the
significance of the pronoun ‘it.’ Given its dehumanising potential, this discussion should be
presented in light of the posthumanist critique of anthropocentrism, and must affirm students’
existing identifications.