The Power of Feminist Research: Understanding implications in the shaping of public discourse

Feminist research has long been conducted and applied all over the world. It focuses on topics that are often overlooked by other academic work: the interdependence of biological and social sex and gender and how they intersect with categories such as race, religion, and class. It sheds light on power relations and it analyses which structures and cultural norms uphold the patriarchy and intersectional discrimination. Feminist research challenges academic methodologies that have predominantly been developed by men and opens the doors to new insights and new solutions for social, economic, and political change.

How important is intersectional deep analysis in overcoming constructed binary categories such as traditional/modern, authentic/colonial, global/local, and East/West? What is the role of language in changing the epistemological landscapes of sexuality and gender? What kind of “translation” do feminist researchers have to do to make feminist narratives more inclusive? The panel discusses these and other issues relating to feminist research.

Panelists:

• Shams Radhouani Abdi, Associate Professor at the ISEAHK University in Tunis; gender equality consultant, writer, translator, and interpreter
• Evren Savci, Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Yale University

Moderator: Vandita Morarka is the founder and CEO of One Future Collective. Their work here develops feminist leadership capacities for social change while supplementing efforts through knowledge co-creation, re-imagining advocacy, and feminist service provision. They are a human rights lawyer, organizer, and researcher. Currently, they are pursuing an MA in Development Studies at the Institute of Development Studies as a Chevening Scholar.