Myra Marx Ferree (born October 10, 1949) is a former professor of

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and director of the Center for German and European Studies at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, where she was also a member of the

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; ...

Program. In 2005 she was a Berlin Prize Fellow at the

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and German ...

and in 2004 the Maria-Jahoda Visiting professor at the

Ruhr University Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began ...

. Ferree retired in 2018.

Life

Ferree attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

where she obtained a PhD in social psychology and social relations in 1976. She has written numerous articles about

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 ...

organizations and politics in the US, Germany and internationally, as well as about

gender inequality Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which people are not treated equally on the basis of gender. This inequality can be caused by gender discrimination or sexism. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology ...

in families, the inclusion of gender in

sociological theory A sociological theory is a that intends to consider, analyze, and/or explain objects of social reality from a sociological perspective,Macionis, John and Linda M. Gerber. 2010. ''Sociology'' (7th Canadian ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson ...

and practice, and 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 ...

with race and

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

. Her current work focuses on comparisons between US and German feminist movements and gender policy developments since the 1960s as well as the development of feminist identities in transnational women's organizations. She has been the recipient of the

Jessie Bernard Jessie Shirley Bernard (born Jessie Sarah Ravitch, 1903 – 1996) was an American sociologist and noted feminist scholar. She was a persistent forerunner of feminist thought in American sociology and her life's work is characterized as extraordi ...

Award (sociology's highest honor for work in gender), vice-president of the

American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fi ...

and deputy editor of its leading journal, ''

American Sociological Review The ''American Sociological Review'' is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of sociology. It is published by SAGE Publications on behalf of the American Sociological Association. It was established in 1936. It is along ...

'', president of

Sociologists for Women in Society Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) is an international organization of social scientists—students, faculty, practitioners, and researchers—working together to improve the position of women within sociology and society in general. Histor ...

and recipient of its mentoring and feminist scholarship awards.

Works (selection)

*''Global Feminism: Transnational Women's Activism, Organizing, and Human Rights'', New York : New York University Press, 2006 (eds. with

Aili Mari Tripp Aili Mari Tripp (born 24 May 1958) is a Finnish and American political scientist, currently the Wangari Maathai Professor of Political Science and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Education and early career ...

) * ''Shaping Abortion Discourse: Democracy and the Public Sphere in Germany and the United States'', Cambridge University Press, 2001 (eds. with

William Anthony Gamson William Anthony Gamson (January 27, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was a professor of Sociology at Boston College, where he was also the co-director of the Media Research and Action Project (MRAP). He is the author of numerous books and articles on poli ...

, Jürgen Gerhards, and Dieter Rucht) * ''Controversy and Coalition: The New Feminist Movement Across Four Decades of Change'', Routledge Press, 1995 (with Beth Hess) * ''Revisioning Gender'', Alta Mira Press, 1998 (eds. with Judith Lorber and Beth Hess) * ''Feminist Organizations: Harvest of the New Women's Movement'', Temple University Press, 1995 (eds. with Patricia Yancey Martin)

References

External links

Myra Marx Ferree
at University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of Sociology {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferree, Myra Marx 1949 births Living people American gender studies academics American women sociologists American sociologists Postmodern feminists University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni