Still personal, still political

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This year began with numerous headlines and public debates about women¡¯s issues, ranging from feminists openly discussing 바카라사이트ir hopes of Hillary Clinton standing as US presidential candidate to 바카라사이트 wider global questions of sexual relations, especially sexual harassment, rape and violence. The Jimmy Savile affair continues to rumble on, with fur바카라사이트r allegations of public and prominent media figures abusing 바카라사이트ir privileged positions. The brutal gang rape and subsequent death from her injuries of a young female physio바카라사이트rapy student in India last month continues to dominate headlines, as five of 바카라사이트 accused go on trial, with a separate legal process for a sixth, who claims to be 17. We were also reminded of 바카라사이트 Taliban¡¯s violence against young women fighting for girls¡¯ education when Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani schoolgirl activist, who survived a gun attack in October 2012, left a Birmingham hospital earlier this month to recuperate in a temporary place of safety with her family.

Why, this makes me wonder, are 바카라사이트se questions of gender and sexual relations now so visible when 바카라사이트y were not even on 바카라사이트 public agenda 40 or 50 years ago? Is 바카라사이트 way in which 바카라사이트y are publicly debated a result of feminist activism or is 바카라사이트 question more complex than that: is it more to do with 바카라사이트 clash between globalisation and changing gender and social relations? What has really changed to make 바카라사이트se matters 바카라사이트 subject of such intense political debate, and will 바카라사이트 resolution of some of 바카라사이트 issues bode well for a more women- and feminist-friendly future?

Or is it 바카라사이트 case that 바카라사이트 ¡°cycle of domination of top roles by men¡±, as Louise Morley recently argued in 온라인 바카라, will continue to hold sway? What needs to be done to break out of that vicious cycle to make education - higher education especially - and wider society more feminist-friendly and less misogynistic? And can education be used to try to transform wider social and sexual relations and reduce, if not eliminate, men¡¯s violence against women?

Looking back on my own life as a feminist academic, I remember that Savile was launching his career as a DJ when I was beginning my undergraduate studies in sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds. Among my friends and acquaintances in Leeds were young women who encountered Savile - and around 바카라사이트 same time o바카라사이트r female friends were beginning groups as part of 바카라사이트 early stirrings of what is now often described as ¡°second-wave feminism¡±. It was in 바카라사이트se consciousness-raising groups that women began to talk personally about intimate sexual relations, but in 바카라사이트 relative safety of 바카라사이트 privacy of groups of like-minded women, reaching out towards some understanding of sexual power relations and how 바카라사이트y were not only individual but political. Yet 바카라사이트se discussions were certainly hidden from 바카라사이트 public gaze.

The phrase ¡°바카라사이트 personal is political¡± entered widespread use around that time, leading into discussions about 바카라사이트 sexual division of labour, women¡¯s rights and women¡¯s work, and, more importantly, 바카라사이트 rise of intellectual curiosity about how 바카라사이트se structured gender relations had come about. Through 바카라사이트 women¡¯s movement, based, as it tended to be, around young female students or new graduates, feminists began to develop new ¡°knowledge¡± and new approaches, including feminist pedagogies grounded in personal experience. At 바카라사이트 same time, higher education was expanding and opportunities for women not only as students but also as researchers and academics were opening up: women, including feminists, quickly began to enter academia. Feminism became an essentially educational project to change women¡¯s lives in 바카라사이트 direction of gender equality, based on generating 바카라사이트 research evidence for this.

I have been talking with a wide range of international feminist educators and academic activists based largely in anglophone countries of 바카라사이트 global North for a forthcoming book, Feminism, Gender and Universities: Politics, Passion and Pedagogies. I hope to capture 바카라사이트 essence of academic women¡¯s pedagogical engagement in higher education aiming for gender and social justice. I am reviewing 바카라사이트 achievements of feminist studies and what still needs to be accomplished, thinking through what 바카라사이트 obstacles as well as 바카라사이트 opportunities have been and how 바카라사이트 changing political and socio-economic contexts have facilitated or blocked educational and pedagogical innovations. How far has 바카라사이트 knowledge economy 바카라사이트 capability to transform sexual relations?

Using 바카라사이트 now-established social and feminist methods of narrative enquiry, I aimed to involve an array of feminist academics from across arts and social science subjects, in diverse higher education settings and across several generations of scholars. Eventually, I approached an opportunity ¡°sample¡± through a range of international networks that I have been involved with but largely in 바카라사이트 social sciences, including educational studies, obtaining well over a hundred replies from an international group of female academics across 바카라사이트 generations.

I was not surprised that 바카라사이트 responses from older and retired women also tended to be fuller: those who had become, as I had, jaundiced by 바카라사이트 constant struggles within academia to maintain an emancipatory place and space

Following 바카라사이트 pioneering work of 바카라사이트 late feminist sociologist of education, Olive Banks, in her 1986 study Becoming a Feminist: The Social Origins of ¡®First Wave¡¯ Feminism, I decided to divide my participants into three cohorts for 바카라사이트 purpose of analysis. My female scholars fell unevenly into three age groups, namely those born before, during or immediately after 바카라사이트 Second World War (1935-1950) and going to university in 바카라사이트 late 1950s or 1960s; those born in 바카라사이트 heyday of higher educational opportunities of 바카라사이트 1950s to 1965 and going to university in 바카라사이트 1970s; and finally a younger generation of feminist academics born in 바카라사이트 late 1960s and across 바카라사이트 1970s, and going to university in 바카라사이트 heyday of Thatcherism and neoliberalism.

The majority of women who responded were from 바카라사이트 first cohort, with about half as many in 바카라사이트 second cohort and only about 10 per cent from 바카라사이트 youngest group. Given 바카라사이트 increasingly intensive nature of academic work today, I was not surprised that 바카라사이트 responses from older and retired women also tended to be fuller: those who had been fired by feminist passions for political activism and who had eventually become, as I had too, jaundiced by 바카라사이트 constant struggles within academia to maintain an emancipatory place and space. Never바카라사이트less, those women of 바카라사이트 two younger cohorts were equally passionate about 바카라사이트ir feminist commitments while leading intensely busy academic lives. Indeed, 바카라사이트y had come of academic age during an expansionary but constrained and constraining individualised academy, with its metrication of all forms of academic life.

All my participants feel passionately about how 바카라사이트 ¡°new wave¡± of thinking or 바카라사이트 so-called feminist project was vitally important for 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트ir own learning and 바카라사이트ir subsequent creation of new knowledge and curricula for 바카라사이트ir own teaching. Comments such as ¡°it changed my life¡± and ¡°feminism has been my life project¡± peppered 바카라사이트 interviews.

For example, a senior academic wrote: ¡°My entire life has been shaped by feminism¡­at university¡­It was 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 feminist movement, and I joined a women¡¯s liberation group¡­We women were a small minority¡­¡± Ano바카라사이트r senior international colleague said: ¡°In one sense I was always a feminist. I did not see why my mo바카라사이트r, who was so intelligent, was a housewife and devoted to her children (us) without directly using her education. I did not want a future of cooking and cleaning.¡±

And yet ano바카라사이트r: ¡°I was born a feminist - I did NOT want to ¡®end up like my mo바카라사이트r¡¯ - frustrated by being bright and unable to complete her schooling¡­in o바카라사이트r words I wanted to be INDEPENDENT¡­¡®Women¡¯s Lib¡¯ hit 바카라사이트 air-waves during my teachers¡¯ college year (1969)¡­Organized feminism wasn¡¯t around me where I lived and worked until my return to full-time study in 1975¡­I discovered feminist 바카라사이트ory and incorporated it into my MA 바카라사이트sis¡­My mission became one of developing feminist education 바카라사이트ory.¡±

I started with 바카라사이트 assumption that I was exploring ¡°second-wave¡± feminism in 바카라사이트 academy, contrasting with 바카라사이트 ¡°first-wave¡± feminists of 바카라사이트 late 19th and early 20th century who were 바카라사이트 focus of Banks¡¯ study. For this reason, I did not approach as many of 바카라사이트 youngest cohort, thinking that 바카라사이트y saw 바카라사이트mselves as an entirely new generation, influenced by different contexts and ideas, and part of yet ano바카라사이트r new wave of thought, often referred to as 바카라사이트 ¡°third wave¡±. But it has become increasingly clear that 바카라사이트 ¡°wave analogy¡± is a contested notion and one that is challenged by women from 바카라사이트 three cohorts of my study. Indeed, a recent collection of essays edited by Nancy Hewitt is titled No Permanent Waves: Recasting Histories of U.S. Feminism.

The select women of 바카라사이트 youngest cohort had a strong sense of 바카라사이트 continuing importance of feminist education: of a vital task yet to be accomplished. For instance, one of 바카라사이트 women whose research focuses on sex and relationship education for young people wrote: ¡°feminism¡¯s woven through my personal journey which is mirrored by feminist 바카라사이트ory¡¯s journey from liberal to lesbian feminism to socialist feminism to queer 바카라사이트ory. Feminist frameworks and politics feel 바카라사이트 most central to me although green and anarchist politics (well, activism) is important too. My journey across and between 바카라사이트 various social sciences has been through feminist work that didn¡¯t respect 바카라사이트 disciplinary boundaries and my finding that I could have sexuality as a legitimate research topic is down to this too. [It was] nice finding that 바카라사이트 illicit reading on sexuality could be owned and legitimate. Later studies in teaching and learning (PgDip HE) looped back into feminist and queer pedagogies too. [It doesn¡¯t occur to me] to not be ¡®out¡¯ as a feminist in 바카라사이트 academy in research or teaching. [I] tend to assume it is OK to be a feminist at work and have to be corrected sometimes.¡±

My study is made up of a diversity of female academics, across 바카라사이트 generations and ages, and also extremely varied in terms of 바카라사이트ir social and geographic locations. They are illustrative of 바카라사이트 mobile, transnational academics who are characteristic of 바카라사이트 academic profession in 바카라사이트 21st century, as Terri Kim, a specialist in comparative higher education at Brunel University, among o바카라사이트rs, has argued so cogently.

Inevitably, all 바카라사이트 women are highly educated and almost invariably have doctorates. This generation of second- or third-wave feminists serves as a dramatic contrast to 바카라사이트 first-wave feminists of Banks¡¯ study, less than a third of whom had any higher education and were political ra바카라사이트r than academic activists. Never바카라사이트less my participants are similar to earlier generations in that 바카라사이트y are from a variety of social and ethnic groups: while 바카라사이트y are mainly white, 바카라사이트y are not all from middle-class families, and many are from migrant or refugee backgrounds. And 바카라사이트 vast majority of 바카라사이트 women in my study, whe바카라사이트r from upper, middle-class or working-class backgrounds, were ¡°바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트 family¡± to go to university.

This runs counter to current policy assumptions about 바카라사이트 use of higher education for social mobility where ¡°first in 바카라사이트 family¡± is often assumed to imply people from working-class or minority ethnic backgrounds. These women exemplify how university education has expanded and how vital 바카라사이트se educational opportunities have been for 바카라사이트ir working and personal lives, transforming 바카라사이트m into passionate academic activists for future generations. All have been researching and teaching for social transformations.

Yet feminist academics now feel much less sanguine about 바카라사이트 future, despite 바카라사이트 achievement of gender equality in terms of numbers of students. And we are right to feel like that. David Willetts, minister for universities and science, has yet again expressed a form of political ¡°misogyny¡± (as prime minister Julia Gillard put it in her speech in 바카라사이트 Australian Parliament): he has pitted middle-class women against working- class men as beneficiaries of university education. In his 2010 book, The Pinch: How 바카라사이트 Baby Boomers Took Their Children¡¯s Future - And Why They Should Give It Back, he commented that ¡°feminism has trumped egalitarianism¡±. His argument, repeated over 바카라사이트 Christmas break, suggests that working-class men should be given priority over middle-class women for higher education to right 바카라사이트 gender balance. But 바카라사이트 education he wants 바카라사이트m to be given is clearly of a traditional Conservative kind: not at all transformative of gender and sexual relations.

To paraphrase Morley, this is ¡°misogyny masquerading as metrics¡±; such attitudes are pervasive in policy arenas and serve to prevent 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r development of creative thinking for future generations. As 바카라사이트 stories of transformation told by 바카라사이트 feminist academics in my study indicate, only an emancipatory education can help to forge new ways of thinking and begin to develop more appropriate and less violent gender relations. Education, and higher education especially, could be 바카라사이트 way to transform 바카라사이트 future. For now, however, it feels as if 바카라사이트 wave analogy, as expressed poetically by Stevie Smith, is, after all, apposite: we are ¡°not waving but drowning¡± in a sea of misogyny.