Feminist Transformation in Higher Education: Discipline, Structure, and Institution

Abstract

Using a feminist poststructuralist perspective, this study investigates academic feminism as a case of transformation in higher education. Narrative analysis was used to examine the transformative role of feminist scholarship in the contexts of disciplines, departments, and the university, illustrated by the life histories of nine diverse feminists and their perceptions of transformation in sociohistoric, generational, and multiple structural contexts. Assessments of progress must consider the relative nature of a values shift in institutional transformation.

Women and Feminism in Higher Education Scholarship: An Analysis of Three Core Journals

“…While it may be true that authors included elements of liberal feminism to intentionally "soften the feminist blow," I also believe that many academic feminists truly embrace liberal feminism. In fact, research conducted by Safarik (2003) supports this belief. Safarik indicates that liberal feminism is the prevailing feminist perspective among faculty.…”

Grassroots leadership: encounters with power dynamics and oppression

“…One of the reasons that we hear so little about these bottomup initiatives is that they are not well documented or studied. Only a handful of studies exist that have examined bottom-up leadership by faculty and staff, and most of these are historical -exploring the civil rights and women's movements (Astin and Leland 1991;Hart 2005;Safarik 2003;Wolf-Wendel et al 2004).…”

“…Power and oppression become particularly salient concepts when describing and trying to understand the conditions that grassroots leaders experience in their efforts to create change (Astin and Leland 1991;Hart 2005;Hill 1994;Safarik 2003;WolfWendel et al 2004) 5 . As I will describe further in the literature review, grassroots and top-down leaders in organizations often have differing interests.…”

Understanding the Formation, Functions, and Challenges of Grassroots Leadership Teams

“…In recent years, a few higher education scholars have also examined leadership beyond the perspective of those in positions of authority (e.g., Astin and Leland 1991;Safarik 2003;Wolf-Wendel et al 2004). Astin and Leland (1991) and Safarik (2003) examined the women's movement on campus and women's studies programs to demonstrate how individuals outside positions of authority made important changes on campus, ranging from new curriculum, hiring new faculty, and altering the campus climate, to be more favorable to women. Also, there is a significant body of literature from the feminist and civil rights movements that addresses grassroots leadership.…”