Feminism in Action is Jean O'Barr's firsthand account of two decades spent working to promote the cause of higher education for women through the establishment of women's studies programs. The book brings together revised versions of O'Barr's most significant presentations on the subject, from a 1976 talk to incoming Duke University students, through original essays that document the process of institutional change, to a 1993 lecture on the impact of race on discussions of gender. Striking the perfect balance between a theoretical sense of what feminism proposes and a practical sense of what is politically feasible, these essays pose--and help to answer--basic questions about the role of women's studies programs in the academy. Exactly what kinds of changes do such programs instigate? How do they work, institutionally? What accounts for their extraordinary success in supporting higher education for all women, from recent high school graduates to older returning students? Written in a lively, anecdotal style and supplemented by personal testimonies from students and colleagues, the essays provide not only a valuable history of the field of women's studies but a concrete blueprint for current and future programs. from the book From a student point of view, the way in which women and gender are presented and discussed appears as important as their mere mention as topics, if not more so. Such student observations suggest that individual faculty members function as 'gatekeepers' of knowledge to a much greater degree than disciplines or departments do. . . . Students require active preparation and encouragement if they are to be able to transfer information learned in the context of a women's studies class into other courses.

Talking Gender assesses the state of women’s studies in the 1990s. The contributors write from the perspective of their own academic disciplines and experiences, but they also address more general issues of women’s lives and circumstances. The result is a broad picture of women’s studies and feminist scholarship, which emerge as a rich, if sometimes dissonant, chorus of voices. These original essays cover a range of topics and a variety of times and places: images of women inherited from Roman oratory, visual images from cultures of trauma; verbal imagery in today’s pornography debates; political and social identities in the state of Israel; boundaries between private and public lives of African American women leaders; voices and audiences of African American women writers; stereotypes of HIV-positive women; what women’s studies can teach men about themselves; and the place of women in global industry. The introduction and conclusion place the collection within the context of historical debates in women’s studies and suggest some new directions for the field. The contributors: Cynthia Enloe (Clark University) Sara M. Evans (University of Minnesota) Kathy E. Ferguson (University of Hawai''i at Manoa) Karla F. C. Holloway (Duke University) Michael S. Kimmel (SUNY-Stony Brook) Mandy Merck (London) Barbara Ogur (Cambridge Neighborhood Health Centers) Amy Richlin (University of Southern California) Kristine Stiles (Duke University) Deborah Gray White (Rutgers University).Originally published in 1996.A UNC Press Enduring Edition — UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Feminism in Action is Jean O'Barr's firsthand account of two decades spent working to promote the cause of higher education for women through the establishment of women's studies programs. The book brings together revised versions of O'Barr's most significant presentations on the subject, from a 1976 talk to incoming Duke University students, through original essays that document the process of institutional change, to a 1993 lecture on the impact of race on discussions of gender. Striking the perfect balance between a theoretical sense of what feminism proposes and a practical sense of what is politically feasible, these essays pose--and help to answer--basic questions about the role of women's studies programs in the academy. Exactly what kinds of changes do such programs instigate? How do they work, institutionally? What accounts for their extraordinary success in supporting higher education for all women, from recent high school graduates to older returning students? Written in a lively, anecdotal style and supplemented by personal testimonies from students and colleagues, the essays provide not only a valuable history of the field of women's studies but a concrete blueprint for current and future programs. from the book From a student point of view, the way in which women and gender are presented and discussed appears as important as their mere mention as topics, if not more so. Such student observations suggest that individual faculty members function as 'gatekeepers' of knowledge to a much greater degree than disciplines or departments do. . . . Students require active preparation and encouragement if they are to be able to transfer information learned in the context of a women's studies class into other courses.

Talking Gender assesses the state of women’s studies in the 1990s. The contributors write from the perspective of their own academic disciplines and experiences, but they also address more general issues of women’s lives and circumstances. The result is a broad picture of women’s studies and feminist scholarship, which emerge as a rich, if sometimes dissonant, chorus of voices. These original essays cover a range of topics and a variety of times and places: images of women inherited from Roman oratory, visual images from cultures of trauma; verbal imagery in today’s pornography debates; political and social identities in the state of Israel; boundaries between private and public lives of African American women leaders; voices and audiences of African American women writers; stereotypes of HIV-positive women; what women’s studies can teach men about themselves; and the place of women in global industry. The introduction and conclusion place the collection within the context of historical debates in women’s studies and suggest some new directions for the field. The contributors: Cynthia Enloe (Clark University) Sara M. Evans (University of Minnesota) Kathy E. Ferguson (University of Hawai''i at Manoa) Karla F. C. Holloway (Duke University) Michael S. Kimmel (SUNY-Stony Brook) Mandy Merck (London) Barbara Ogur (Cambridge Neighborhood Health Centers) Amy Richlin (University of Southern California) Kristine Stiles (Duke University) Deborah Gray White (Rutgers University).Originally published in 1996.A UNC Press Enduring Edition — UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.