Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Final Project
Course Title
WSS 690 MA Final Project
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Chair
Barbara Sutton
Second Reader
Kori Graves
Abstract
The name “Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies,” WGSS, is a name rooted in politics and the academy, evidenced by the evolution of the phrasing even in the field’s relatively short history. In an environment where WGSS is under attack from both neo-fascist policies and neo-liberal budget cuts, we must be certain to put our best, most representative foot forward. This project explores (1) the state of the field’s name today and how it has evolved, (2) why this nomenclature is unstable and contradictory, and (3) what the politics of naming reveal about the changes in the field, the challenges it has faced, and, perhaps, the opportunities that might be available for the field to not only survive but thrive within the academy.
Recommended Citation
Lemire, Sydney, "The Politics of Naming a Field: Evolution, Controversies, and Strategies around What We Call “Women’s Studies”" (2024). Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies M.A. Final Projects. 5.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/wgss-masters-finalprojects/5