In the spirit of community consciousness-raising groups of the 1970s, the Women's Studies and Gender Studies program aims to create a space where community members facilitate dialogues and learn more about essential topics of contemporary feminism. Our inaugural lecture series provides an opportunity for the Loyola community to foster an environment in which feminist ideas thrive. Presenters are current and former students, staff, and faculty addressing topics and issues impacting both our campus and larger Chicago community.

The Fall 2018 lecture schedule will be announced in the coming months.

 

PAST LECTURES

Domestic Violence: Experience of the South Asian Immigrant Women in the United States
Presented by Teuta Peja

Domestic Violence is a cross-cultural phenomenon that appears in different forms, and its manifestation is different depending on the cultural values, social and political norms of a place. In cases of domestic violence among immigrant communities, besides socio-cultural norms of the host country, socio-cultural factors in the home country influence how immigrants perceive and respond to domestic violence. This presentation will focus on how domestic violence is conceptualized by research studies on Asian Indian immigrant communities in the United States through different periods of time; how patterns of abuse and help-seeking behaviors of immigrant communities have changed through the years; and the role of the organizations that provide services to domestic violence survivors.

Documenting Women’s History 
A Community Conversation featuring: Jeremy Bucher, MA student, History; Elizabeth Fraterrigo, Associate Professor, History; Nancy Freeman, Director of Women and Leadership Archives; Rebecca Parker, MA student, Digital Humanities; Tanya Stabler Miller, Assistant Professor, History

A generous donation of Ms. magazines inspired us to host a conversation about documenting women’s history. Looking back at the stories featured in the magazine, we will discuss the importance of documenting women’s contributions to art, politics, activism, and everyday life. We ask: Whose stories are recorded? Who determines which stories take precedence over others? How do historians, archivists, photographers, writers, and other recorders take on the responsibility of shaping history?

Sex Work, Feminism, and the Anti-trafficking Narrative
Presented by Cassandra Damm

The anti-trafficking narrative is a popular topic in feminist circles, although the roots of the narrative, which focuses primarily on sex trafficking, provide fodder for debate. Through Cassandra’s work doing substance use and behavioral health interventions in Chicago, her work with the Sex Workers Outreach Project - Chicago, and research in this area, she questions the popular perspective viewing all participants in the sex trade as victims. Instead, she views the issue from a systems lens, focusing on sex worker rights and harm reduction. She also explores why victimization occurs, what contributes, and what work we may have to do as a culture to change our institutions to change this reality. While agency is complicated in a capitalist world, acknowledging structural and cultural stigmas and using strengths-based and trauma-informed interventions provides space to reduce revictimization by formal systems claiming to protect "trafficking victims."

I Got a Lot to be Mad About: How Hurting Black Girls Become Angry Black Women
Presented by Laquasha Logan

Laquasha Logan founded Dear Black Girl: A Collective Love Letter in Summer 2017. It is a site where black women and women of color are able to visit, share resources and discuss things that we experience as black women in America. For her presentation, she will talk about black women, mental health, and wellness. She was diagnosed with depression about 5 years ago, and she will share her story as to how she copes, how depression shows itself in her everyday life, and how black women in many instances struggle with depression and don't recognize it. Ultimately, she would like to begin the conversation around debunking the myth of the strong, angry black woman, and how they are real, and their emotions and emotional health are valid.

Food, Love, and Mom: Women’s Labor and the Myth of the Family Meal in Cold War East and West Germany
Presented by Alice Weinreb, PhD

This lecture analyzes the Cold War construction of the “family meal”, especially “mom’s cooking,” as crucial to children’s health. Analyzing both capitalist and communist economies, I argue that this ideal serves economic purposes rather than supporting public health, above all limiting women’s success in the paid workforce.

It's More than Pronouns: Facilitating Trans and Nonbinary Affirming Classrooms
Presented by Meaghan Tomasiewicz & Suzanne Cuellar

Facilitators will talk about how to affirm transgender and non-binary identities in academia while encouraging attendees to reflect on their own discomfort. Facilitators will address how to practice affirming unfamiliar identities and what to do when mistakes are made. Emphasis will be placed on the process rather than on vocabulary and theory.