University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, is an
oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from
people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
project led by a team of researchers at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
that collects interviews of
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
activists representing seven countries including
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
, and
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. The focus of the project is to record and archive the stories of females who are
activists
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
and
scholars
A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...
within the socio-historical context of their own countries, formed with curricular and research goals at its core. The sources provided lend themselves to comparative and interdisciplinary work, addressing issues that reach across disciplines and provide information regarding
activism
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...
,
historical context
Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term "historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific to ...
,
identity formation
Identity formation, also called identity development or identity construction, is a complex process in which humans develop a clear and unique view of themselves and of their identity.
Self-concept, personality development, and values are all cl ...
, and
social movement
A social movement is either a loosely or carefully organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a Social issue, social or Political movement, political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to re ...
s. The interviews are designed to explore the ways in which different forms of
activism
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...
intersect at various, distinct time points within the history of the represented countries.
The project began with the integration of
women's studies
Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...
, an international perspective, and a focus on the
activism
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...
within nations. The project emphasizes the relationship between women's
activism
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...
and feminist scholarship and aims to represent transformations in
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
within each nation represented alongside the following parameters: conceptual, organizational, and social.
Methodology
The interviewees were selected by each country site's team according to criteria they developed, which often emphasized including individuals who differ by generation, geography, and type of activism, among other things. In the interviews, the women were prompted to discuss their families and upbringing, educational and professional experiences, and activism and involvement in social movements; thus, the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
program leaders did not control the narrative created of feminism in each country. The interviews took place in the interviewees' home country using their native language, later translated into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
.
Some notable interviewees include
Ai Xiaoming
Ai Xiaoming ( zh, c=艾晓明; born 1953) is a Chinese documentary filmmaker, feminist scholar and political activist. She is also a scholar of women's and public issues, and former professor at Sun Yat-sen University. Ai was born in Wuhan in 195 ...
,
Flavia Agnes
Flavia Agnes is an Indian women's rights lawyer with expertise in marital, divorce, and property law. She has published articles in the journals ''Subaltern Studies'', ''Economic and Political Weekly'', and '' Manushi.'' She writes on themes ...
Dora María Téllez
Dora María Téllez Argüello (born 1955) is a Nicaraguan historian known for her involvement in the Nicaraguan Revolution. As a young university medical student in León in the 1970s, Téllez was recruited by the Sandinista National Liberatio ...
Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs (June 27, 1915 – October 5, 2015) was an American author, social activist, philosopher, and feminist. She is known for her years of political collaboration with C. L. R. James and Raya Dunayevskaya in the 1940s and 1950s. In t ...
, and Holly Hughes.
For a full list of interviewees from the Global Feminisms Project, see list below.
Significance
The GFP created a collection of oral histories detailing the origins of feminist activists in several countries. The interviews have served as narrative examples of the feminist adage, "the political is personal." They also expand the understanding of the intersections of
gender
Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...
,
nationality
Nationality is the legal status of belonging to a particular nation, defined as a group of people organized in one country, under one legal jurisdiction, or as a group of people who are united on the basis of culture.
In international law, n ...
women's studies
Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...
, political climates, and personal experiences.
The project has produced numerous resources that are publicly available including bibliographies, teaching modules, and the archive of video interviews. Additionally, the transcripts of all
USA
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
interviews in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
have been entered into
NVivo
NVivo is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package, formerly developed and marketed by QSR International, which is now part of Lumivero. NVivo is used in the social sciences, such as anthropology, psychology, communication, soci ...
, a qualitative data analysis software, for individuals interested in using the interviews for research purposes.
Flavia Agnes
Flavia Agnes is an Indian women's rights lawyer with expertise in marital, divorce, and property law. She has published articles in the journals ''Subaltern Studies'', ''Economic and Political Weekly'', and '' Manushi.'' She writes on themes ...
(India)
* Xiaoming, Ai (China)
* Iara Amora Dos Santos (Brazil)
*
Adrienne Asch
Adrienne Asch (September 17, 1946 – November 19, 2013) was a bioethics scholar and the founding director of the Center for Ethics at Yeshiva University in New York City. She was also the Edward and Robin Milstein Professor of Bioethics at the ...
Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs (June 27, 1915 – October 5, 2015) was an American author, social activist, philosopher, and feminist. She is known for her years of political collaboration with C. L. R. James and Raya Dunayevskaya in the 1940s and 1950s. In t ...
(USA)
*
Urvashi Butalia
Urvashi Butalia (born 1952) is an Indian feminist writer, publisher and activist. She is known for her work in the women's movement of India, as well as for authoring books such as ''The Other Side of Silence: Voices from and the Partition of I ...
Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi (14 January 1926 – 28 July 2016) ''
(India)
* Jarjum Ete (India)
* Maria de Fatima Lima Santos (Brazil)
* Marilda de Souza Francisco (Brazil)
* Xiaoxian, Gao (China)
* Youli, Ge (China)
*
Agnieszka Graff
Agnieszka Graff-Osser (born 1970 in Warsaw) is a Polish writer, translator, commentator, feminist and women's and human rights activist. She studied at Oxford University and Amherst College (Massachusetts, United States), and graduated from the S ...
(Poland)
* Anna Gruszczynska (Poland)
* Zhonghua, He (China)
* Holly Hughes (USA)
* Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova (Russia)
* Inga Iwasiow (Poland)
* Juanita Jimenez (Nicaragua)
* Natalia Yurievna Kamenskaia (Russia)
* Yelena Viktorovna Kochkina (Russia)
* Maria Grigorievna Kotovskaia (Russia)
*
Marian Kramer
Marian Kramer (born 1944 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a civil rights, poverty, and labor activist based in Detroit, Michigan.
Family and childhood Early life
Kramer has been involved with the Civil Rights Movement since childhood, when she att ...
(USA)
* Barbara Labuda (Poland)
* Huiying, Li (China)
* Barbara Limanowska (Poland)
* Matilde Lindo (Nicaragua)
* Anna Lipowska-Teutsch (Poland)
* Bohong, Liu (China)
* Lata Pratibha Madhukar (India)
* Marina Mikhailovna Malisheva (Russia)
* Mangai (India)
* Diana Martinez (Nicaragua)
* Vina Mazumdar (India)
* Yamileth Mejia (Nicaragua)
* Maria Biktorovna Mikhailova (Russia)
* Sofia Montenegro (Nicaragua)
* Giordana Moreira (Brazil)
* Marianna Muravieva (Russia)
* Vilma Nunez (Nicaragua)
* Martha Ojeda (USA)
* Maria da Penha (Brazil)
* Angelica Souza Pinheiro (Brazil)
* Natalia Lvovna Pushkareva (Russia)
*
Sandra Ramos
Sandra Ramos (born Oct, 1969) is a Cuban artist, a contemporary painter, printmaker, collagist, video and installation artist who explores nationality, gender, and identity in her work. She is known for works featuring her character of the Cuban ...
Loretta Ross
Loretta J. Ross (born August 16, 1953) is an American academic, feminist, and activist who advocates for reproductive justice, especially among women of color. As an activist, Ross has written on reproductive justice activism and the history of Af ...
(USA)
* D. Sharifa (India)
* Lyubov Vasilyevna Shtyleva (Russia)
* Sista II Sista (USA)
* Andrea Lee Smith (USA)
* Malgorzatat Tarasiewicz (Poland)
* Maureen Taylor (USA)
* Amelinha Teles (Brazil)
* Dora Maria Tellez (Nicaragua)
* Anna Titkow (Poland)
* Nataraj Trinta (Brazil)
* Bozena Uminska (Poland)
* Martha Heriberta Valle (Nicaragua)
*
Ruth Vanita
Ruth Vanita is an Indian academic, activist and author who specialises in British and Indian literary history with a focus on gender and sexuality studies. She also teaches and writes on Hindu philosophy.
Early life and education
Vanita earne ...
(India)
* Elizabeth Viana (Brazil)
* Shirley Villela (Brazil)
* Olga Voronina (Russia)
* Cuiyi, Wang (China)
* Xingjuan, Wang (China)
* Giovana Xavier (Brazil)
* Li Xi, Zhang (China)