Feminist Scholarships II: Interventions in Disciplinary Conventions

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

This roundtable critically breaks down traditional disciplinary norms by exploring the potential of feminist methodologies to serve as connectors between disciplines and disrupt the conventional research practices that marginalize feminist scholarship and those who pursue it. We delve into key questions of feminist research methods, such as the gendered dynamics of fieldwork, the fallacy of scholarly objectivity, the interplay between quantitative and qualitative research in the social sciences and humanities, the use of autoethnography and terminology, and the intersection of feminist and indigenous research approaches. We apply these inquiries to our examination of the role of women in contemporary political movements in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. From the emergence of new conservatism and neotraditionalism to feminist opposition movements, we consider how women and gender minorities engage in political discourse, both leveraging their unique perspectives and isolated because of them. As a war for the future unfolds in parliaments and on frontlines, those excluded from the political process, as well as those who isolate themselves, utilize alternative methods to promote competing values. Through their visions for the future, critical questions about gender roles in society and the state are brought to the forefront. With echoes of late imperial and early Soviet utopian policies, we delve into the complex relationship between gender and politics during times of upheaval.

Based on previous experience, open, dynamic discussion of these topics draws more interest and is more productive than the panel format.

Sub Unit

• Gender/LGBTQ Studies

Chair

• Colleen M Moore, James Madison U

Roundtable Members

• Allison Brooks-Conrad, U of Pennsylvania

• Diana Dukhanova, College of the Holy Cross

• Erin K Krafft, U of Massachusetts Dartmouth

• Laurel Tollison, Brown U