What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? The Ambivalences of Professional Feminism
Discusses personal experiences as a feminist academic in a women's studies program since the 1970s. Early years out of school were spent as a temporary lecturer with little stability. A tenure-track position in a women's studies program in the Netherlands was viewed as ideal in that it allowed stability but retained a space for open feminist criticism. Although feminist studies is well established in the Netherlands, it is shown that women still face a considerable gender gap at the highest levels. Under conditions of fiscal austerity, this marginalization has meant that these programs are constantly on the verge of being cut. This instability has strained relations between feminist scholars, as more well-known scholars lose close relationships with others & competition drives a wedge between all concerned. Considerable tension also exists concerning the amount of power & manner by which feminist scholars exercise power in their administrative positions. Proposals for making women's studies programs a more secure & hospitable environment are considered. 13 References. D. M. Ryfe