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The Daily OrangeCollege of Arts & Sciences | Women's studies title change follows trends: Gender added to name for role equality
By Candace Tracy
Posted: 2/3/08, 11:25 PM EST Section: News
Alice Kessler-Harris, professor of history at Columbia University and author of the Chronicle article, indicated the issue of gender came into the forefront during the early 1990s as a means of explaining how "the organization of relationships between men and women established priorities and motivated social and political action."
Using gender as an "explanatory agent" provides a foundation for understanding other structural belief systems like class, race, religion and ethnicity that aren't intrinsically linked to just one sex.
Women's studies programs are sometimes accused of not being subjective enough - for being too preoccupied with promoting a "feminist purpose." Transitioning to a program that broadly focuses on gender might quiet critics and allow for a more objective, "distanced stance," according to the article.
But Kessler-Harris said viewing the world strictly through a lens of gender may obscure and undermine the way women, especially traditionally underrepresented groups like immigrants and women of color, have previously "engaged their worlds" throughout history.
Dodd stressed the continued importance of challenging the social status quo of patriarchy.
"The problems in women's lives are still a product of male dominance," she said. "We need to focus and make that clear."
Though the name of the department is changing, no alterations to the majors, instructors or courses are in place for now.
"There still needs to be a focus on women, because there is not enough inquiry about the life of women," Alcoff said.
Both Riley and Dodd said one benefit to renaming the program would be its appeal to a broader group of students.
Auyon Ghosh, a sophomore pre-med major, said he likes the idea of the name change and might consider taking a course in the department.
"Even though it seems like a surface change, I think it would make a difference," Ghosh said.
Dodd added that a varied group of "knowers," not just limited to liberal feminist women, would yield more effective strategies of social change.
"People will be able to see women in a fuller way," Riley said. "And this allows more people to think that it's about them."
Using gender as an "explanatory agent" provides a foundation for understanding other structural belief systems like class, race, religion and ethnicity that aren't intrinsically linked to just one sex.
Women's studies programs are sometimes accused of not being subjective enough - for being too preoccupied with promoting a "feminist purpose." Transitioning to a program that broadly focuses on gender might quiet critics and allow for a more objective, "distanced stance," according to the article.
But Kessler-Harris said viewing the world strictly through a lens of gender may obscure and undermine the way women, especially traditionally underrepresented groups like immigrants and women of color, have previously "engaged their worlds" throughout history.
Dodd stressed the continued importance of challenging the social status quo of patriarchy.
"The problems in women's lives are still a product of male dominance," she said. "We need to focus and make that clear."
Though the name of the department is changing, no alterations to the majors, instructors or courses are in place for now.
"There still needs to be a focus on women, because there is not enough inquiry about the life of women," Alcoff said.
Both Riley and Dodd said one benefit to renaming the program would be its appeal to a broader group of students.
Auyon Ghosh, a sophomore pre-med major, said he likes the idea of the name change and might consider taking a course in the department.
"Even though it seems like a surface change, I think it would make a difference," Ghosh said.
Dodd added that a varied group of "knowers," not just limited to liberal feminist women, would yield more effective strategies of social change.
"People will be able to see women in a fuller way," Riley said. "And this allows more people to think that it's about them."
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