Gender in CIE: A critical self-reflection on the status of the field

• In Event: VIRTUAL HYBRID PANEL: Talking the talk and walking the walk: A critical self-reflection of gender and the field of comparative and international education

Proposal

On the surface, the field of Comparative and International Education appears to promote and focus on equality of all types. Since the 1970s, gender has been a research focus in comparative and international education (Unterhalter, 2014). The extensive work on the issue of gender and access to education by academics and practitioners has proven instrumental in elevating the issue to the forefront of global educational policies (Assie´-Lumumba & Sutton, 2004). More recently with the goal of increased enrollment achieved and global improvements in gender parity, the focus has shifted from access to agency and empowerment (Assie´-Lumumba & Sutton, 2004).
From policy to practice, CIE appears to advocate for inclusiveness, interdisciplinarity, and contextualization in research and practice. This paper interrogates the assumption that CIE promotes these same concepts of gender equality, empowerment, and inclusiveness in the field itself. Through the use of data published in leading CIE journals, this paper attempts to answer the following questions: How are issues of gender and power manifested and addressed within the field and society? Is the field of CIE shifting and adjusting to the changing societal gender norms, or does it remain stagnant, despite external attempts to promote equality, empowerment, and inclusion? A critical examination of the role of gender in CIE scholarship and practice is essential in order to challenge the assumption that CIE leads by example- in other -words, although CIE is talking the talk, does it really walk the walk?
For over seven years, the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education (ARCIE) has served as the collective memory of the field (Wiseman & Anderson, 2013a; 2013b). Yearly systematic, empirical examinations of leading CIE publications have amassed data related to articles published in the field’s major journals (Davidson, et al., 2017). As such, ARCIE is positioned to conduct a critical and systematic examination of gender in the field. This paper problematizes hierarchy and power with the field through an analysis of publication trends and encourages a re-evaluation of the field’s focus on gender equity.

Authors

• Nino Dzotsenidze, Lehigh University

• Obioma Chiemela Okogbue, Lehigh university

• Maureen F Park, Lehigh University

• Petrina M. Davidson, Lehigh University