SWS Sponsored Session at American Sociological Association Meeting on Tuesday, August 10
To learn more, please visit: https://www.asanet.org/annual-meeting-2021
Session Title: Sociologists for Women in Society: 50 Years of Feminist Research, Scholarship, and Activism
Meeting Time: Tuesday, August 10, 12:45pm – 2:10pm Eastern Standard Time, VAM, Room 3
Description: In 1971, Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) was born. Its first battle, however, was not at an ASA business meeting but at the ASA hotel restaurant, which refused to serve women during the “men’s lunch hour” lest the female chatter disturb the men’s serious discussion. This session examines the spirit in which women worked to gain access to resources, services, and leadership within the Association across gender, race, class, and sexuality dynamics. Despite the pedestrian route taken by these women, they were pioneers at a time when American women struggled for full integration and acceptance in their work lives. In their struggle for parity, they constructed an association of women from within the ASA named Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS). Thus began a forward-looking journey to build an association that included all women, and developed the discipline of sociology in ways that were inclusive of gender, across all of its dimensions. ASA members who attend this session will come away with a deep understanding of how SWS has been at the forefront of the intersectional transformation of the discipline, and the future directions the organization will pursue.
Organizers:
Mignon R. Moore, Barnard College and Columbia University
Marlese Durr, Wright State University
Presider and Zoom Host:
Marlese Durr, Wright State University
Individual Presentations:
The History of SWS and the Establishment of Gender & Society – Christine E. Bose, University at Albany – SUNY (2009 SWS Past-President)
Women of Color in SWS – The Challenges of Incorporating Intersectionality – Denise A. Segura, University of California, Santa Barbara (2010 SWS Past-President)
Gaining Strength: ASA-SWS Relationship – Marlese Durr, Wright State University (2005 SWS Past-President)
The Future of SWS: Gender Non-Binaries, Intersectionality, and Class Consciousness – Mignon R. Moore, Barnard College and Columbia University (2021 SWS President)