Strengthening women's studies through applied activism : theoretical, classroom, regional, and cross-border strategies for participating in change
Autor/in:
Dickinson, Torry D.
Quelle: Women's studies international forum, Vol. 28 (2005) No. 2-3, S. 115-126
Inhalt: "Through activist scholarship Women's Studies has helped to support material and cultural change in the university and in social-change projects around the world. To strengthen Women's Studies social-change applications, this article stresses the importance of consciously integrating material and cultural knowledge and recognizing material feminism's historical, social relational, and local-to-global contributions. Applied activist knowledge in Women's Studies would be enhanced by more engagement in theoretical, classroom-based, and organizational work in regional and cross-border feminist social-change networks. Examples are drawn from the author's experiences teaching Women's Studies, her work in feminist theory construction in relation to historical analysis, and her activist research in U.S. urban areas, the U.S. Great Plains, and in regions of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Emphases are placed on the grounding of gendered and intersecting hierarchies within our historical, global society; the connection of social-change frameworks to an exploration of democratically defined women's and community needs; and the preparation of applied activists for the work of developing new, redistributive models of inclusive regional and global development." (author's abstract)
Gender and science where science is on the margins
Autor/in:
Koblitz, Ann Hibner
Quelle: Bulletin of science, technology & society, Vol. 25 (2005) No. 2, S. 107-114
Inhalt: "Historians of science have traditionally concentrated on the achievements of scientists in Western Europe and North America. The usual assumption was that one did not need to study scientific communities outside of a few key countries because they were presumed to be analogous to (though weaker than) scientific communities in the West. In general, those who study women in science have shared this bias. This article provides examples that illustrate how cross-national research that includes less-studied areas of the world can move us beyond generalizations that are based on small samples of women scientists in relatively few countries. This article is not definitive but rather suggests ways in which transnational studies of gender and science can contribute to our knowledge of not only the position of women in science but also the significance of class and social status and the meanings attached to the scientific enterprise in different cultural contexts." (author's abstract)
Quelle: Women's studies international forum, Vol. 28 (2005) No. 2-3, S. 150-162
Inhalt: "This paper focuses on the experiences and perceptions of gender inequality by undergraduates at a British University with strong historical traditions. Contrary to a 'post-feminist' rhetoric stating that gender inequalities no longer exist in higher education in the UK, or at least not at an undergraduate level, results of a questionnaire and interviews show that gender inequality does still persist in this institutional setting. However, we also found reluctance among students, particularly female students, to recognise or articulate this as discrimination. Instead, there was a tendency to downplay or deny such inequalities, and resistance to such matters being raised. Drawing on existing literature in the field, we suggest this might be a 'coping mechanism', as well as indicative of the 'post-feminist' milieu. The paper then reflects on the implications of these findings, particularly for those seeking to address gender inequalities in such an institutional environment. Drawing on identity politics theory, as well as the authors' own activist experiences, we argue that while recognising women as a discriminated group may promote gender differentiation, this may still go some way towards practically combating 'androcentric norms' (Fraser, Nancy (1995). From redistribution to recognition? Dilemmas of justice in a 'post-socialist' age, New Left Review, 212, 68 93) and thus gender inequality in universities." (author's abstract)