'Gender and Politics of Higher Education'

A distinguished scholar of modern French history and women's history, Scott is the author of three pathbreaking books in the fields of gender history and gender theory: Women, Work and Family (1987), co-written with Louise Tilly, Gender and the Politics of History (1988) and Only Paradoxes to Offer: French Feminists and the Rights of Man (1996). She was a member of the panel that reviewed the National History Standards last year, and she chaired the AAUP commission on Shared Governance and Affirmative Action.

"Joan Wallach Scott has been an important participant in debates on institutional issues in the academy, such as the status of women, affirmative action and changes in the curriculum," said Leora Auslander, Associate Professor in History and Director of the Center for Gender Studies. "These are issues the new Center for Gender Studies also hopes to address, and we thought Professor Scott would make an exciting and appropriate inaugural speaker."

Scott's lecture is the first of many planned activities at the Center for Gender Studies. Among the events in the coming year are a daylong symposium on gender and sexuality in print media; a series called "Contesting Genders," in which video artist and painters will present their work on campus; and a conference on the gendering of space, including how the erosion of national boundaries has transformed gender relations and sexuality.

The Center for Gender Studies was created to foster innovative teaching and research on how the conceptions of gender and sexuality shape cultures, societies, institutions and individual lives. It will also provide a common ground where the University community can share experiences, debate issues, develop strategies and address the concerns of broader communities.

For more information, call 702-9936.