University of Washington, Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies oral histories, 2017-2024
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- University of Washington. Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies
- Title
- University of Washington, Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies oral histories
- Dates
- 2017-2024 (inclusive)20142024
- Quantity
-
115 gigabytes, (185 files)
- Collection Number
- 6585-001
- Summary
- Oral histories documenting the development and growth of the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Access to portions of the collection is restricted. Contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections for details.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
The department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) at the University of Washington (UW) began as a concentration offered under the General and Interdisciplinary Studies (GIS) in 1970. Previously known as the Women Studies department, the program's first director, Sue-Ellen Jacobs, was a driving force behind its early development. In 1974, the Women Studies Advisory Committee was formed; comprised of students, faculty and staff, members sought progress for the status of Women Studies as an academic department at UW, in areas such as curriculum planning, faculty hiring, and community activism. The Women Studies Program was granted formal departmental status in 1996. In 2011, the department changed its name to reflect current debates in the field that involve feminisms in different historical and geographic contexts; push research and teaching in new directions; and speak to complex, powerful relationships among social categories.
Adapted from: [https://gwss.washington.edu/about]
Content Description
Materials contain 37 oral history interviews with faculty and alumni from the Gender, Women and Sexuality department at the University of Washington. These interviews document the establishment and growth of the department from it's inception in 1970 to the present day.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections for details.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Donated by Priti Ramamurthy, 2024-11-20.
Related Materials
University of Washington Department of Women Studies Records
Detailed Description of the Collection
-
6585-001, University of Washington, Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies oral histories, 2014-2024
115 gigabytes, (185 files)-
Description: Kemi Adeyemi
Scope and Content: Since 2016, Kemi Adeyemi has been an associate professor of GWSS at the University of Washington. She traces her academic journey to a B.A. in American Studies and Geography, disciplines that shaped her political and geographic understanding of race as a social construct. After completing her undergraduate studies, she pursued a PhD in Performance Studies at Northwestern University, drawn to the field's focus on the body, which deepened her understanding of racialization.
Adeyemi details her early research on the affective performance of the Black hipster in New York's neoliberal economy and how it ultimately shaped her dissertation on Black queer nightlife scenes in Chicago. She also reflects on the academic job market, critiques Black Studies departments, and describes the intergenerational culture of the GWSS department at the University of Washington, which has fostered a supportive space for her interdisciplinary work.
The interview concludes with a discussion on the importance of cultivating Black arts writing spaces beyond academia. Adeyemi highlights the joy of her latest project at the Black Embodiments Studio: Current Resident, a free direct-mail art initiative sent to Southend residents in Seattle.
Interviewer: Bitaniya Giday
Dates: April 30, 2024 -
Description: Carolyn Allen
Scope and Content: Carolyn Allen, reflects on her role in organizing open meetings with fellow professors, community members, and activists to develop the Women Studies program before it was formally established as a department. She highlights tensions in these meetings, particularly the ideological differences between feminist politics within academia and those outside of it.
Allen also contrasts the early Women Studies program meetings with those of the English Department and offers insights into how other areas of the university created space for scholarship on feminism within the humanities. She describes how her scholarship at the University of Washington evolved during her 46 year tenure as a professor, leading her to focus on feminist theory and women writers, particularly through her experience co-editing the feminist journal SIGNS: Journal of Women in Culture and Society.
Interviewer: Abby Haggerty
Dates: March 11, 2014 -
Description: David Allen
Scope and Content: David Allen, former chair of the GWSS department, reflects on his upbringing as a "child of the '60s" and his early engagement with feminism. Allen describes his path to Women Studies—first at the University of Wisconsin and later at the University of Washington—rooted in his commitment to social justice in nursing. He recalls his frustration at discovering the field of nursing to be surprisingly anti-feminist and anti-union, which further motivated his academic and activist work.
He discusses the controversies surrounding his appointment as department chair in 2005, particularly debates on gender and race, both in the national press and within the department. During his tenure, he helped develop a course on contesting masculinities, guided the department's renaming, supported the promotion of new adjunct faculty, and strengthened ties with the Women's Center.
Finally, Allen shares his hopes for the department's future, emphasizing the need to deepen connections across campuses and build stronger relationships with communities outside the university.
Interviewer: Abby Haggerty
Dates: April 22, 2014 -
Description: Phillip Bereano
Scope and Content: Philip Bereano, a former professor in the field of Technology and Public Policy, became a member of the University of Washington faculty in 1975. He recalls arriving in Seattle in the mid-1970s and connecting with feminist organizers. He describes developing a course on gender and technology, which he co-taught with Chris Bose, examining how technologies—particularly household appliances—affect people differently based on gender.
Bereano details the challenges of securing support for the course both within and beyond the university, including the impact of the budget cuts on various programs. He also discusses his efforts to establish a course on ethnicity and technology in the Ethnic Studies department which was made possible with support from the Ford Foundation.
Interviewer: Abby Haggerty
Dates: May 12, 2014 -
Description: Brianna Blaser
Scope and Content: Brianna Blaser, who received her PhD from the GWSS Department in 2008, shares stories of how her upbringing led her to where she is today. She discusses her time at Carnegie Mellon University and how the shock of being one of the few women in her math classes influenced her to take gender studies courses. She recounts memorable stories of her time at the University of Washington, including her search for funding, constant bi-coastal traveling, and trying to print her dissertation. Blaser goes on to share details about her work at the University of Washington's DO-IT Center where she manages complex programs, delivers presentations, and writes grant proposals.
Interviewer: Hanna Moon
Dates: May 1, 2024 -
Description: Clare Bright
Scope and Content: As one of the first professors to teach a Women Studies course at the University of Washington, Clare Bright details the early years of the program and the evolving perceptions of the department and feminism throughout her tenure as a professor. She describes her growth as a radical feminist, shaped by her involvement in the Women's Movement through organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW) and other more radical groups of the time.
Bright discusses the program's institutionalization into a department and the critical questions that arose during this process. She shares her perspective on the department's shifts over the years, including its name change, its relationship to activism, and the changing attitudes of students. She also highlights her goals as a professor, emphasizing the importance of fostering critical thinking and awareness as tools for social change.
Interviewer: Mae F. Jacobson
Dates: March 6, 2014 -
Description: Jeanette Bushnell
Scope and Content: Jeanette Bushnell, who earned her PhD from the GWSS department in 2009, now serves as a lecturer at the University of Washington. She shares her journey from studying chemical engineering to becoming a nurse, professor, and mother of three. She reflects on her identity as an Indigenous woman and recalls the key feminist issues of her youth, including reproductive rights, wage disparities, violence against women, and equal access to employment. Bushnell discusses her ongoing activist work for change and equity, as well as the evolution of her courses and the department as a whole.
Interviewer: Mae F. Jacobson
Dates: June 3, 2014 -
Description: Kelly Clingan
Scope and Content: Kelly Clingan, recipient of the 2016 GWSS Alumni of the Year Award, discusses her work with the non-profit JazzEd, which promotes equality in the music industry in Seattle. As a member of a traditional Mexican band, she reflects on the feminist perspective she brings to her daily life and music. Reflecting on her time at the University of Washington, she shares the path that led her to become a Women Studies major, detailing her favorite classes in the department.
Interviewer: Noemi Stephanie Ocampo
Dates: April 26, 2019 -
Description: Sara Diaz
Scope and Content: Sara Díaz discusses her educational journey from high school to graduate studies, tracing the development of her interest in the history of science and how it ultimately led her to the University of Washington. As a graduate student in the University of Washington's History Department, she took several courses in the GWSS Department, which played a crucial role in shaping her dissertation and solidifying her decision to pursue a doctorate in Feminist Studies.
Díaz also highlights her involvement with the Women of Color Collective on campus and the important work she contributed to the group. After earning her PhD in 2012, she joined Gonzaga University as an Associate Professor in the Women's and Gender Studies Department. She reflects on her initial concerns about teaching at a religious institution but explains how she has found unexpected alignments between feminist frameworks and Jesuit ideologies, which have led to meaningful developments in her pedagogy and praxis.
Interviewer: Richard Alejandro Parra
Dates: April 12, 2024 -
Description: Marie Doman
Scope and Content: Marie Doman reflects on her educational journey, her commitment to feminism, and her path to becoming a donor for the GWSS program. In the late 1990s, she founded the Marie Doman Excellence in Teaching Award which annually recognizes a GWSS graduate student whose teaching reflects the highest standard of feminist pedagogy. Doman also shares insights on encouraging greater engagement in the field.
Interviewer: Victoria Chan
Dates: April 25, 2019 -
Description: Lexie Evans
Scope and Content: Lexie Evans, a 1975 graduate of the Women Studies program at the University of Washington, discusses her upbringing in Montana and her move to Seattle, where she became active in women's movements, especially through the YWCA and RAP group. She reflects on how her Women Studies education shaped her perspective and offers insights on social movements from the 1970s and 1980s. Evans also outlines her career path, from restaurant management to organizing the Women's Studies Conference at the University of Washington, serving as Director of the Women's Center, and later becoming Dean of Student Life at Seattle Central College.
Interviewer: Simona Liao
Dates: April 23, 2021 -
Description: Angela Ginorio
Scope and Content: Angela Ginorio, a professor in the GWSS department, reflects on her feminist awakening, her journey into academia, and her positionality as a Puerto Rican woman navigating these spaces. She describes the formative experiences that shaped her feminist consciousness as well as her decision to pursue a PhD in psychology. In addtion, she reflects on how moving to the United States for graduate school shifted her understanding of her Puerto Rican identity.
Interviewer: Elle Brown
Dates: April 25, 2019 -
Description: Michelle Habell-Pallán
Scope and Content: Michelle Habell-Pallán, a professor in the GWSS department, reflects on her academic journey, tracing her interest in feminism to her early experiences growing up as a Mexican-American woman in a patriarchal household in a predominantly white community. Confronted with the dual challenges of sexism and racism, as well as her lifelong love of music, Habell-Pallán found liberation in punk rock and ska music. These genres, with their anti-racist sentiment and rebellious spirit, provided an outlet for her experiences and later shaped the direction of her academic research.
Joining the University of Washington in 1998, Habell-Pallán initially taught in the American Ethnic Studies Department before becoming a faculty member in the GWSS Department in 2008. She discusses significant projects developed through collaboration during her time at the University of Washington, including Women Who Rock: Making Scenes, Building Communities. She concludes the interview by sharing her thoughts on new directions in feminist scholarship she hopes to explore, both personally and within the future development of the department.
Interviewer: Christina Yuen Zi Chung
Dates: October 30, 2017 -
Description: Sam Hatzenbeler
Scope and Content: Sam Hatzenbeler, the 2023 GWSS Alumni Award winner, shares her personal experiences growing up as a feminist. Hatzenbeler names her mothers' commitment to her family as the inspiration that set her path as an activist for working families. She cites the importance of her undergraduate studies in the GWSS department—emphasizing how the department cultivated her critical thinking skills and her global perspective on how oppression manifests.
Interviewer: Cristina Sofia Barriot
Dates: April 29, 2024 -
Description: John Hayes
Scope and Content: John Hayes earned his Bachelor's in Women Studies and Social Welfare from the University of Washington in 1976. After graduation, he worked as an outreach worker before returning to the university to earn a Master's in Social Work. Reflecting on his time at the university, Hayes notes a decrease in diversity, observing that there were more Black students and professors when he initially attended. He also discusses the racism directed at Black instructors and shares his own experiences with police violence and harassment.
Now a captain at the Seattle Police Department, Hayes explains how his education in gender inequality and feminism at the University of Washington shaped his work in social work, policing, and family life. He developed programs like the Seattle Youth Initiative and Get Off the Streets, now operated by the non-profit Seattle Neighborhood Group. Hayes concludes by offering his perspective on Seattle's most pressing issues, including homelessness and racism.
Interviewer: Danielle Carrasquero
Dates: April 23, 2019 -
Description: Judith Howard
Scope and Content: Judith Howard reflects on her long affiliation with the GWSS department, where she has been a faculty member since 1982. As a professor and former department chair, she traces the department's evolution from a marginalized field to a recognized academic discipline, highlighting its early struggles for legitimacy, activist roots, and the feminist pedagogies that have since become mainstream.
She also discusses how feminist activism shaped her academic journey, including her early work in rape crisis advocacy and her role in founding the National Lesbian Feminist Organization.
Interview: Sarah Archer
Dates: April 16, 2019 -
Description: Sue-Ellen Jacobs
Scope and Content: Sue-Ellen Jacobs describes her pivotal role as the first acting director of the Women's Studies program at the University of Washington. She shares stories of her early activism and community work, including integrating the City Hospital of Charlotte, North Carolina before the passage of the Civil Rights Act and collaborating with Corky Gonzales and the Chicano Movement in Denver. In the 1960s, Jacobs began teaching at Sacramento State University, where she played a key role in establishing the university's first Women's Studies program.
In 1974, Jacobs applied for a position in the Anthropology Department at the University of Washington but was unexpectedly considered for a joint appointment with the Women Studies program. She describes the struggles of the program's early days—facing hostility from both activists on the advisory committee, who demanded political change, and faculty members who dismissed the legitimacy of Women Studies scholarship. She recounts her efforts to build alliances within the university and across programs, including Ethnic Studies. Finally, she shares her thoughts on the department's evolution leading up to her retirement in 2004.
Interviewer: Amy Bhatt
Dates: June 6, 2015 -
Description: Lucy Jarosz
Scope and Content: Lucy Jarosz, professor emerita in Geography and adjunct professor emerita in GWSS, reflects on her experience working between the two departments since joining GWSS in 1993. She discusses how this interdisciplinary engagement shaped her identity as a feminist scholar.
Her research—focused on the political ecology of food and hunger, women and agriculture, and agrarian development—continued to shift throughout her tenure at the University of Washington. She also reflects on the relationships she built with colleagues and the evolution of the GWSS department during her time there.
Interviewer: Natalie Vaughan-Wynn
Dates: April 26, 2021 -
Description: Susan Jeffords
Scope and Content: Susan Jeffords reflects on her various roles at the University of Washington, including her time as chair of the Women Studies program in the early 90s. She shares her involvement in the transition of Women Studies from a program to a department—expanding faculty, student enrollment, course offerings, and developing the PhD program.
As department chair, Jeffords worked to build an inclusive feminist community that embraced diverse voices and perspectives, shifting the department's focus to a transnational approach and increasing participation from students of color. She highlights the importance of institutional critique in feminist practice, noting the strengths and challenges of Women Studies becoming institutionalized within the university. Jeffords also explains how the department's name change reflected its evolving role at the university. Finally, she discusses her personal growth as a feminist scholar and reflects on the feminist work that remains to be done, both now and in the future.
Interviewer: Mae F. Jacobson
Dates: March 11, 2014 -
Description: Sydney Kaplan
Scope and Content: Sydney Kaplan reflects on her role in the Women Studies program, highlighting her contributions to its development and planning since 1971, as well as her tenure as director from 1981 to 1992. During her time as director, the department hosted the National Women's Studies Association Convention. Kaplan discusses her academic feminism and explores the tensions between radical feminism and the institutionalization of the department.
Interviewer: Mae F. Jacobson
Dates: May 8, 2014 -
Description: Cricket Keating
Scope and Content: Cricket Keating has been an associate professor in the GWSS department since 2016. Reflecting on their academic career, they attribute their radicalization to the works of Audre Lorde and Malcolm X, which they encountered as an undergraduate. As a PhD student in Political Science and Government at the University of Washington, they organized the graduate student TA union and participated in protests at the World Trade Organization in 1999.
Keating reflects on their experience teaching in Ohio State's Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program before returning to the University of Washington as a faculty member, where they value the department's focus on transnational feminism. They contrast the intersectional work done in GWSS with the more traditional approach in Political Science. Keating also discusses their commitment to critical feminist pedagogy, transnational feminist organizing, and their vision for the future of feminism.
Interviewer: Hailey Robinson
Dates: November 27, 2017 -
Description: Nancy Kenney
Scope and Content: Nancy Kenney has been a faculty member in the GWSS and Psychology departments since 1976. In addition to her teaching and research, she serves as the Director of Graduate Training for the GWSS department.
Kenney's research examines how reproductive technologies shape women's lives and societal notions of what defines a "good mother." She reflects on her background in psychology, her journey to feminism, and the early years of the Women Studies program. Kenney also shares her perspectives on contemporary feminist issues and her aspirations for the department.
In addition, she discusses the pushback the Women Studies program faced from the university administration, state legislature, and the press in its early years, including her personal experience of being harassed for several months by a student who repeatedly threatened her.
Interviewer: Sita Kouhi
Dates: February 20, 2014 -
Description: Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Scope and Content: Jeanne Kohl-Welles reflects on her extensive teaching career at the University of Washington, where she has taught courses on gender, education, and women in sports since 1985. She discusses her efforts to integrate feminist perspectives into the curriculum and her active involvement in legislative work on issues such as sexual harassment and gender discrimination. She also highlights her role as an expert witness in related lawsuits, using those experiences to enrich her teaching.
The interview explores the evolution of the Women Studies program, shifts in classroom dynamics, and her interdisciplinary approach, which combines education, sociology, and women's studies. She discusses the importance of bridging the gap between academia and practice, emphasizing her commitment to applying academic insights to real-world issues. She also reflects on collaborations with colleagues and students, questioning the potential disconnect between theoretical discussions on women in sports and active engagement in the field.
Interviewer: Ziyi Anna Zhao
Dates: April 18, 2024 -
Description: Victoria Lawson
Scope and Content: Victoria Lawson traces her academic journey from her upbringing in Nottingham, England to her position as a Professor of Geography at the University of Washington. She recalls how her early fascination with animals and exposure to social inequality profoundly shaped her worldview.
As a graduate student Ohio State University, she encountered significant sexism in the Geography department, where she was restricted from engaging in the work she was most passionate about. Undeterred, she joined the University of Washington in 1986, navigating another male-dominated academic environment. Her resilience and determination led her to forge meaningful connections with the GWSS program, allowing her to focus on feminism, international development, migration, and inequality. She reflects on how her scholarship and teaching evolved to incorporate critical race theory, whiteness studies, and feminist care ethics, a transformation she attributes to the strong bonds she formed with colleagues and graduate students.
Interviewer: Eugenio Quantro-Plaga
Dates: May 3, 2024 -
Description: Regina Yung Lee
Scope and Content: Regina Yung Lee has been a lecturer in the GWSS department since 2014. She discusses her upbringing in Canada and her studies in Marine Ecology, which eventually took her to California. There, she was introduced to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at the University of California, Riverside—shifting her academic focus. After teaching K-12 and high school, she became a lecturer at the University of Washington. Lee reflects on how her experience in middle school classrooms has shaped her pedagogy as a professor. She concludes by connecting her Marine Ecology studies to her current work in social and humanitarian studies.
Interviewer: Valerie J. Bloem
Dates: April 18, 2019 -
Description: Laura Love
Restricted
Dates: April 23, 2023 -
Description: Serena Maurer
Scope and Content: In her oral history, Maurer reflects on how her understanding of feminism and the world evolved over the course of her career. She begins by describing the state of feminism during her undergraduate years and how the goals of the movement have shifted over time. She recounts her experience in the University of Washington's Master of Public Affairs program, noting that the education she received there did not fully address the systemic questions she was grappling with. It was through the GWSS PhD program that she broadened her perspective, moving beyond traditional white feminism to embrace a more transnational and intersectional framework. This expanded view deeply influenced her teaching and eventually inspired her to found a mindfulness education nonprofit. Through this organization, she and her team are actively working to dismantle white supremacy and racism in the workplace.
Interviewer: Leo Lollie
Dates: April 25, 2024 -
Description: Tylir McKenzie
Scope and Content: Tylir McKenzie traces his journey to earning a PhD in Feminist Studies from the University of Washington in 2019. He discusses his interest in feminist pedagogy and psychology, highlighting how feminist methodology shapes his research across various fields. Passionate about teaching, McKenzie expresses his commitment to his students and shares his perspective on academia. He emphasizes the importance of evaluating and challenging existing narratives to drive positive change in teaching practices. Reflecting on the department's evolution, he offers his thoughts on the integration of Queer Studies and addresses pressing feminist issues today, including attacks on DEI, women's rights, and feminist studies.
Interviewer: Jeremy Yuan
Dates: April 26, 2024 -
Description: Amy Piedalue
Scope and Content: In 2004, Amy Piedalue graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Women Studies and International Studies, and in 2015, she continued her education by earning her PhD in Geography. She contrasts her experiences in International Studies with those in the more activist-oriented GWSS department. She reflects on her service-learning experiences in GWSS, sharing stories of the Seattle community's support for people regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and how these aligned with the conversations happening within the department at the time.
Piedalue also recounts her fieldwork as an undergraduate, describing it as both a feminist project and a foundation for her future research framework. She explains how her ongoing involvement with the non-profit API Chaya shaped her understanding of ethical feminist research. After completing her undergraduate degree, Piedalue discusses the challenges she faced in her post-baccalaureate life and the triumphs that led her to her current position. She reflects on why she chose to pursue graduate studies in Geography, how it informs her feminist work, and how the field of feminism and the GWSS Department have evolved over time.
Interviewer: Malachi Skiby
Dates: April 26, 2019 -
Description: Priti Ramamurthy
Scope and Content: Priti Ramamurthy joined the GWSS department in 1997 and discusses how witnessing profound inequalities between urban and rural communities in India inspired her lifelong research on India's rural transformation. More recently, her work has focused on the informal economies that structure precarious lives within rural-urban entanglements in India. She recalls how major events, such as the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 and protests against globalization in 1999, shaped departmental politics and concerns, and describes her efforts to secure greater support for the department from the university during her time as department chair.
Ramamurthy reflects on how her transnational experiences—migrating to the United States and navigating boundaries as an economist and teacher—have influenced her position as a post-colonial feminist scholar. She describes how she strives to continually de-center the United States in critical feminist knowledge production and pedagogy.
Interviewer: Yingyi Wang
Dates: April 19, 2019 -
Description: Chandan Reddy
Scope and Content: Chandan Reddy shares his life story, reflecting on his experiences growing up between India and the United States during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Rodney King protests. He discusses his activism in New York and his career as a professor at the University of Washington, where he teaches in the GWSS and Comparative History of Ideas departments. Reddy draws parallels between his time as a college student during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and his experiences as an academic during the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasizes the importance of a radical student body in driving meaningful change and highlights the growing trend of educators embracing and encouraging independent study as a means of fostering growth both within and beyond the university setting.
Interviewer: Lauren Graves
Dates: April 27, 2021 -
Description: Helen Remick
Scope and Content: Helen Remick reflects on the experiences that led her to feminism, including recognizing misogyny at a young age through the way doctors treated women and her mother's unhappiness within the domestic sphere. She worked as a secretary before earning a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a PhD in Developmental Psychology, eventually becoming a faculty member. However, finding the academic environment unwelcoming, she transitioned to a role as Research Director at the Women's Center at UC Davis.
At the University of Washington, she began as Director of Affirmative Action for Women (1975–1982) and went on to hold several key positions, including Director of Affirmative Action (1982–1984), Equal Employment Officer (1984–1990), Assistant Provost for Human Rights and Affirmative Action (1990–1993), and Assistant Provost for Equal Opportunity (1993–2005). Remick discusses her role in establishing the University of Washington's Women's Center and the services it provided, as well as her activism within the university to create the Women Studies program in response to the exclusion of women scholars by male academics.
Interviewer: Abby Haggerty
Dates: February 7, 2014 -
Description: Karen Rudolph
Scope and Content: Karen Rudolph, a 1976 graduate of the University of Washington's Women Studies department, shares her family history through the lens of the socio-political events that shaped her upbringing, including the Great Depression, Japanese concentration camps, and World War II. She reflects on how her parents' activism and commitment to education influenced her own lifelong dedication to activism.
She offers intimate memories of her college years, including struggles with making friends, falling in love with women in the program, and witnessing the profound impact of rape, domestic violence, and restricted access to safe and legal abortion. Reflecting on her education at the University of Washington, she recalls both the progress and frustrations of the time. She emphasizes the lesson that change is possible, even in the face of institutional hierarchies that insist otherwise.
Interviewer: Mary Hall Williams
Dates: April 27, 2021 -
Description: Pepper Schwartz
Scope and Content: Pepper Schwartz, who became a sociology professor at the University of Washington in 1972, reflects on her upbringing in a liberal Jewish home, where her parents emphasized the importance of formal education for her and her siblings. She recalls the first time her older brother took her to Chicago's South Side to help register voters during the Civil Rights Movement, an experience that introduced her to activism. Schwartz also shares stories of her graduate years at Yale, including efforts to demand a women's bathroom in Linsly-Chittenden Hall.
She recounts the many sexist incidents she encountered on her path to becoming a tenured professor at the University of Washington. Additionally, the interview explores how Schwartz's understanding of sexuality has evolved over time and how these shifts have influenced her teaching.
Interviewer: Keila Taylor
Dates: April 23, 2019 -
Description: Amanda Lock Swarr
Scope and Content: Amanda Lock Swarr, a professor in the GWSS department at the University of Washington since 2005, reflects on her childhood in Philadelphia and early engagement in political activism. She discusses coming out as an undergraduate at Bucknell University, where she strongly identified as a political lesbian. During her MA in Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, she developed a feminist pedagogy and a passion for feminist ethnography.
Swarr recounts her role in helping establish the University of Minnesota's PhD program in Feminist Studies and shares how she became interested in South Africa, where her dissertation centered on everyday experiences, deep relationships, and giving back to the queer activist community she studied.
She also discusses her hiring at the University of Washington and her role in developing courses in trans and queer studies. The interview concludes with her reflections on the department's future.
Interviewer: Theodore Davenport
Dates: April 24, 2019 -
Description: Sasha Su-Ling Welland
Scope and Content: Sasha Su-Ling Welland reflects on the experiences that led her to join the GWSS faculty at the University of Washington in 2004. She recounts growing up as a mixed-race Asian American woman in Missouri during school desegregation and the cultural shift she experienced upon moving to California to attend Stanford University. There, she discovered oral history methodology and began a project interviewing her grandmother, which became the foundation for her first book.
Welland initially joined the University of Washington with a joint appointment in Anthropology and GWSS before transitioning to a full-time GWSS position after receiving tenure. She shares insights into the complexities of the university system and its impact on her role, as well as her experiences teaching and the aspects of it she finds most rewarding.
Interviewer: Ananya Garg
Dates: October 30, 2017 -
Description: Shirley Yee
Scope and Content: Shirley Yee, a professor in the GWSS department at the University of Washington, reflects on her path to academia. She grew up in the Northeast, and after studying History and Communications as an undergraduate, she earned her PhD in History at Ohio State University, researching Black women in the anti-slavery movement. In 1988, she became the first woman of color to secure a tenure-track position in the GWSS department. She discusses the department's evolution, including its growing emphasis on intersectionality and the process of changing the department name. Finally, she discusses the development of her own feminist consciousness.
Interviewer: Abby Haggerty
Dates: May 28, 2014
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