Panel and Discussion: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Gender Equity
On Monday, September 26th, a distinguished panel of experts on gender equity introduced their recent work to the Fellows. Dr. Carrie Preston, Director of the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program, spoke about her research as a student of Noh drama in Japan (her new book, Learning to Kneel, has just been released by Columbia University Press); Vrinda Varma, a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar currently at BU, introduced the Kudumbashree, a successful women’s empowerment initiative in Kerala, India, and Assistant Professor of Art & Photography Toni Pepe used her own work to introduce the performativity of gender.
This session was the first in a series of three designed to support Fellows’ preparation of a presentation on gender equity that they will deliver in Washington, DC in October, during the Program’s Global Leadership Forum.
We were also honored to have a special guest with us: Janet Ferone, a longtime teacher and administrator of the Boston Public Schools and former President of the Boston chapter of the National Organization of Women (NOW), has kindly agreed to work with our Fellows who are particularly interested in gender equity.
After presenting, the speakers joined breakout groups in which Fellows described issues and initiatives in gender equity in their respective countries. After our speakers departed, we continued with a discussion of possible directions the Fellows might take with their own presentation. Next month, Professor Pepe will lead the Fellows in a two-session workshop to produce that presentation.
