Tips from the editors of Feministing in Political Science, Alana Cattapan, Ethel Tungohan, Nisha Nath, Fiona MacDonald, and Stephanie Paterson.
5. Don’t be an Asshole.
In her chapter, Stephanie Paterson examines how the role of professors—imparting a canon, enforcing certain rules—leads to a “high number of assholes” in the profession. She argues instead for an approach that centres empathy, reimagining political science as a relational practice.
4. Refuse.
In a dialogue with Yasmeen Abu-Laban, Leah F. Vosko, and Reeta Chowdhari Tremblay, Kiera L. Ladner discusses how to engage in change while continuing to do work that matters. “Because while we’ve been let in the door, I think all of us have refused to be anything but who we are.… Refusal is huge.”
3. Be unreasonable.
In working for change within an institution, we risk legitimating an unacceptable status quo. In her chapter, Nicole Bernhardt examines “the power of refusing to take part within the boundaries of reasonableness” and the possibilities of disruption.
2. Find your people.
Whether you’re reaching out online or across the classroom, feministing in political science is relational, and it is a struggle. We need each other to make change happen and survive the journey.
Chapters from Lindsay Larios, Manon Laurent, and Amanda Bittner tell us how.
1. Start our own university already.
In our conclusion, Ethel Tungohan imagines a different academia: “We could teach, read, learn, research, create, celebrate, theorize, and explore untethered by the demands of the academic industrial complex.”
