Image: © Matt Crossick
To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, we asked five of the School of Advanced Study’s female academics – Dr Maria del Pilar Kaladeen, Professor Jane Winters, Professor Diamond Ashiagbor, Dr Sarah Singer and Dr Godela Weiss-Sussex – what the day means to them, and how they are supporting other women.
Maria del Pilar Kaladeen (left), research fellow at the Centre for Postcolonial Studies, is currently working on the publication of her PhD thesis: With Eyes of Wonder: Colonial Writing on Indentured East Indians in British Guiana, 1838-1917.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It allows me to reflect on the women in my family who worked hard to ensure that the world was open to me in a way it may not have been to them. I frequently think of my mum at this time of year as I am conscious of how she passed her love of reading on to me and how much this influenced the choices I made as an adult. Having five children meant she never really had time to pursue the things she wanted for herself, but this never prevented her giving willingly to others.
How are you supporting other women?
Last year I formed a small network of women who share my Caribbean heritage. Some members are advanced in their career, while others, like me, are just starting out. I feel proud when members say that a contact they made through the group has supported them with a project or a problem. I thought that as an early-career researcher I wouldn’t have much to offer senior women in my field, but it turns out I can make a difference just by organising an informal and relaxed space to meet.
Jane Winters (left) is the School’s professor of digital humanities. She has led or co-directed a range of digital projects, including Big UK Domain Data for the Arts and Humanities; Digging into Linked Parliamentary Metadata; Traces through Time: Prosopography in Practice across Big Data; the Thesaurus of British and Irish History as SKOS; Born Digital Big Data and Approaches for History and the Humanities.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is an important reminder to stop and think about the lives and work of women and girls everywhere, taking the time to celebrate their achievements without losing sight of the difficulties that so many still face. For me it’s an opportunity to remember the many amazing women who’ve helped to shape my life, from encouraging a childhood love of books to inspiring me to want to work in a university.
How are you supporting other women?
One great opportunity to support other women is through the School of Advanced Study’s mentoring scheme for academic staff. I would have loved to have something like that available to me at the start of my career. I also hope that I’ve been able to encourage women now starting their careers to have confidence in themselves and in what they have to contribute. It doesn’t take much time to tell someone that they’ve done a great job but it can make a huge difference.
Diamond Ashiagbor (right) is professor of law and director of research at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Her research interests are in labour/employment and equality law, regional integration (the European Union and the African Union); law and development; human rights and multiculturalism.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
For me, International Women’s Day means solidarity: collectively celebrating women’s achievements, while also refocusing on the struggle for gender equality, particularly where it intersects with other types of inequality. I’ve long been interested in labour rights, so the day is an opportunity to reflect on how to challenge the gendered and racialised ways in which inequalities in economic life and in the labour market are structured and experienced. It’s also a chance to find inspiration in other women’s achievements, for instance by taking part in activities such as Newcastle Law School’s Inspirational Women of the Law Event 2017.
How are you supporting other women?
Mentoring is essential for women in universities (whether in professional services or academic positions), especially given our major under-representation of women in senior positions and the persistence of unconscious bias (e.g. men seen as ‘brilliant’; women seen as ‘diligent’). I aim to continue supporting the career development of other women in academia through reading and commenting on their work, giving advice on probation, promotion, publication strategies, and grant applications. For IWD 2017 itself, I shall be visiting Osgoode Hall Law School (York University, Canada), to give a keynote lecture, lead a seminar on ‘Gender, political economy and the construction of the labour market’, and join a reading group discussing Sara Ahmed’s Living a Feminist Life.
Godela Weiss-Sussex (right) is a Reader in modern German literature at the Institute of Modern Languages Research, and co-director of its Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing (CCWW).
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is a joyful day for me, one of solidarity and celebration.
How are you supporting other women?
As co-director of the CCWW, I work to direct research attention to frequently neglected, non-canonical writing. We support authors and celebrate their achievements by inviting them to readings and discussions, thus helping them to gain recognition for their work. Our research seminars focus on general literary research topics such as ‘the ethics of travel writing’ or ‘autofiction in the digital age’, but consider them in the context of writing across European, non-European, major and minority languages. While this network’s members are by no means all women, my colleagues and I are strongly committed to strengthening the voices of female authors and researchers.
Sarah Singer (left) is lecturer in refugee law at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and programme director of the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the strength and achievements of women worldwide, both past and present. It is a time to reflect on and appreciate the struggles and sacrifices made to secure important legal entitlements and changes in societal perceptions for the benefit of women, and how we can continue to support the advancement of their rights both in the UK and globally.
How are you supporting other women?
As part of my role at the University of London I educate the next generation of researchers and advocates of human rights, and women’s human rights is a core component of my teaching syllabus. I also run a master’s programme via distance-learning. Its part-time and flexible format has significantly opened up opportunities for women with childcare and other responsibilities to gain entry to high-quality postgraduate education, previously almost inaccessible to them. I believe that providing flexible forms of learning which increase higher education opportunities for women are important steps on the road to full and effective equality and empowerment.