Living Feminism in the Academy: South African Women Tell Their Stories

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dc.contributor.advisorKlees, Steven Jen_US
dc.contributor.authorCorneilse, Carolen_US
dc.contributor.departmentEducation Policy, and Leadershipen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-07-02T05:53:17Z
dc.date.available2009-07-02T05:53:17Z
dc.date.issued2009en_US
dc.description.abstractStudies about North American and European women predominate the literature on gender issues in higher education, particularly research that focuses on female academics who are self-described feminists. The literature tells us that there are differences between the institutional experiences of feminist faculty, as opposed to female faculty in general. Most universities are male-dominated institutions and inequalities in status, rank, and salary persist, although the gaps have shrunk over time. Female faculty who self-identify as feminists are more likely to challenge discriminatory institutional practices, because feminism, by its nature, challenges the status quo. And they are more likely to be ostracized and ridiculed when they confront unequal treatment. Yet the presence of feminists in the academy signals their belief in its value as an institution. Universities offer the intellectual space to theorize about women's position in society, to generate knowledge that brings about greater understanding of women's lives, and to develop strategies for change. There is a small, but growing, body of literature documenting the experiences of female faculty in South Africa's higher education institutions. Few studies have focused on feminist faculty, however. In this qualitative study, six diverse women share their experiences of being feminist faculty in South African universities over a thirty-year period, beginning in the early 1970s. Their personal narratives begin in their formative childhood years when they first become aware of social injustice. The study documents their growing feminist consciousness, their initial encounters with feminist theories, their struggles as university and community activists, and as young faculty. The women recall pivotal events and experiences that have shaped them, and describe what it has been like to live out their feminist values on a daily basis in South Africa's universities.en_US
dc.format.extent518987 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/9203
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEducation, Higheren_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledWomen's Studiesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledFacultyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledFeminismen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledSouth Africaen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledUniversitiesen_US
dc.titleLiving Feminism in the Academy: South African Women Tell Their Storiesen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

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