Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
September 13, 2004
U of G celebrates 25 years of women’s studies
The University of Guelph is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its women’s studies program with a talk by women’s studies researcher and author Meg Luxton Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. in Room 204 of the Landscape Architecture building. The event is free and open to the public.
Luxton, a social science and women’s studies professor at York University, will present “Dreams and Dilemmas: Women’s Studies and the Politics of Knowledge.” Her research focuses on women’s work, paid and unpaid, and on the women’s movement in Canada and globally. Her books include More Than a Labour of Love: Three Generations of Women’s Work in the Home; (with June Corman) Getting By in Hard Times: Gendered Labour at Home and on the Job; and Feminism and Families: Critical Policies and Changing Practices.
"It's an incredible honour to have someone like Dr. Meg Luxton, who has played such a significant role in the development of women's studies in Canada, here to help us commemorate the development of our own program at Guelph,” said French professor Dawn Cornelio, co-ordinator of U of G women’s studies program. “Her visit will also mark a new milestone from which we will turn to the future and continue to grow and develop.”
The Guelph program was founded in 1979 by psychology professor Joanna Boehnert. It has been enriched by dozens of talented scholars, including English professor Helen Hoy, engineering professor Valerie Davidson and anthropology professor Marta Rohatynskyj.
Recent graduates Jessica Hein and Heather Holland have gone on to participate in the foundation of GirlsPoken, a Trillium Foundation outreach program that promotes self-esteem and educates adolescent girls. A number of other graduates are pursuing advanced degrees across Canada.
"Before university, I didn't really know what women's studies was all about,” said Holland. “Now, I would say that my experience of women's studies wasn't just about 'women' or sexism or feminism but also about the interconnected ways that domination and oppression operate in racism, homophobia and heterosexism, ableism and classism. It’s about ways of knowing and thinking, about deconstructing and challenging and about change."
Contact:
Dawn Cornelio
Women’s Studies Program
University of Guelph
(519) 824-4120, Ext. 53186, or dcorneli@uoguelph.ca
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53338, or Rachelle Cooper, Ext. 56982.
