Contemporary Issues in Feminist Research: Spring 2019

The EWU Women’s & Gender Studies Program presents for Spring 2019 “Contemporary Issues in Feminist Research,” featuring faculty and staff presenting research in their disciplines from a feminist perspective.

Revisiting the Body as Home

Ryan Parrey, PhD
Director of Disability Studies

Wednesday, Apr. 24
Noon to 12:50, 207 Monroe Hall

Developing the notion of “the body as home” within feminist and disability studies scholarship, I explore the potential of home and, particularly, the body as home, as a porous and mobile space rather than a static and secure location. In doing so, I demonstrate the value of recognizing that, like disability, home is relational. I discuss the relationship between impairment and disability within disability studies to outline the benefits of thinking of these together. I consider the usefulness of two contemporary conceptualizations of the body in relation to disability: Eli Clare’s location of non-normative bodies at a crossroads and Jasbir Puar’s notion of “switch points of bodily capacity.” I consider ethical implications of this formation of the body as home through consideration of Derrida’s ethics of hospitality.

Gendered Violence and Support Services: Understanding Barriers to Seeking Services or Receiving Assistance

Kerryn Bell, PhD
Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice

Lindsey Upton, PhD
Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice

Wednesday, May 22
Noon to 12:50, 207 Monroe Hall

Historically, the mainstream women’s rights movement has neglected the inclusion of intersectionality, specifically as it operates in the experiences of marginalized populations disproportionately affected by sexual violence and trauma.

The current study is an exploratory analysis using focus groups and in-depth interviews to critically examine perceptions of barriers faced in seeking domestic violence and intimate partner violence services in a northwest community in the United States.

As conversations about victim’s rights are increasingly discussed at a national level, it is a critical time for communities to evaluate and assess the inclusion of marginalized persons within service provider networks.

This study examines local level data in order to identify gaps within the victim assistance networks, the perceptions of practitioners involved, and social problems identified by service providers that disproportionately impact victims, creating barriers for victim assistance.

Farm to Cup: Women’s Evolving Roles in Specialty Coffee

Julia Smith, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology

Wednesday, May 29
Noon to 12:50, 207 Monroe Hall

As coffee has grown from an anonymous commodity to a specialty product that goes directly from producer to roaster to consumer, women’s roles in coffee have grown as well. This talk explores those changing experiences.

When I started researching coffee in the 1990s, women in Latin American coffee communities were generally included only as tokens, expected to be silent partners both in producing coffee and in organizations. But the specialty coffee market has created opportunities for women to take their place as leaders in coffee. I’ll explore those changes and profile a few women involved in growing coffee in the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, reflecting on their changing experiences.

All of our events are wheelchair accessible and fragrance-free. Contact Lisa Logan at 509.359.2898 or llogan83@ewu.edu three business days in advance to make accommodation arrangements.