Suchergebnisse

Examines insights provided by feminist science studies into the complex & controversial issue of sexual difference. Varied definitions of "woman" are described, noting that women's studies has emphasized the "subjective & collective meanings of women & men as categories that have been constructed." However, it is maintained that discussions of what characterizes woman invariably include the matter of bodies, & of differences related to biological attributes. Feminist studies of science, medicine, & technology have tackled questions of how & by whom standards of differences are determined, & there is a serious need for the fruits of these discussions to be included in women's studies. Three scientific modules suggested for inclusion in women's studies curricula are: (1) sexual dimorphism; (2) human conception; & (3) HIV/AIDS. It is emphasized that critical considerations of science, technology, & medicine in their social contexts gives students the opportunity to shift abstract notions of "woman" to practical, specific productions of "femaleness.". 27 References. J. Lindroth

The introductory essay of a section on "Altered States" maintains that scholars of feminist science studies almost never work in academic departments that have many other scholars with the same interests. Consequently, their work not only rarely conforms to the orderly dimensions of any prevailing framework, but often challenges these frameworks. The evolution of feminist science studies is traced from its emergence in the 1970s, when feminist critics of science worked in isolation, through the development & enrichment of a theoretical framework, to the current body of work that has "reimagined the cornerstone role of objectivity in the practices & purposes of creating scientific knowledge." Diverse questions currently being researched are examined, noting that most feminist science theory/research looks at who does science, how & for whose benefit it is conducted, & its social consequences. The dual deconstructive & reconstructive roles of feminist theory in the humanities & social sciences are discussed, along with similar deconstructive & reconstructive elements of feminist science theory. A synopsis of the section's essays is included. 42 References. J. Lindroth

The autobiographical narrative of a doctoral candidate in the Dept of Hydrology & Water Resources at the U of Arizona, who is simultaneously pursuing a master's degree in women's studies, discusses the process that led her to become a feminist scientist. It is maintained that hydrology & women's studies are not mutually exclusive. Women's studies promotes understanding scientific analyses as social & political processes, while hydrology emphasizes human dependence on nature. Combining disciplines is described as two sides of a river in which the sediment from both banks is blended & redeposited in a different place as a new formation. The dynamics of this process are compared to Donna Haraway's (1997) notions of diffraction as a way to kindle social change & its use by a "modest witness." Scholars who wander between disciplines are seen as modest witnesses who negotiate the "erosion, mixing, & redepositing of knowledge." Difficulties involved in this diffraction are discussed. It is hoped that hydrologists will one day also address political & social aspects of their research. 10 References. J. Lindroth

An exploration of recent controversies in US academic circles about the use of sociological theories in communist studies contends that historians favoring the "neototalitarian approach" blame social science concepts, especially modernization theory, for the post-1989 "intellectual disaster," claiming Soviet socialism was attributed with an unrealistic capacity for reform. Although communism's demise has negated some arguments of the modernization approach, it is argued that abandoning sociological theories would be a grave mistake, especially since neototalitarian approaches are not a viable alternative. Cognitive problems of the totalitarian approach are examined, noting the conceptual reorientation that emerged in the 1960s as an attempt to overcome these deficiencies. Sociological explanations of communist systems are reviewed, & the modernization approach is compared to neototalitarian explanatory models of the Soviet breakdown, illuminating theoretical flaws in the latter, & demonstrating that neototalitarian theorists simply add a different evaluative component to the arguments of modernization theorists. Consideration is given to the complex causes of the Soviet downfall & a structure of domination familiar to Soviet research. J. Lindroth

An autobiographical narrative of a natural scientist who has bridged the gap between hard science & women's studies describes the path that took her from teaching biology, to geography, to a tenure-track position in women's studies. It all started with the development of a "Women & Science" course for the biology department that led to teaching a similar course in the women's studies department. The importance of the perspective of science to both science & women's studies is discussed, noting the continuing expansion of feminist science studies, & the fruitful analyses that result from working across boundaries of the natural & social sciences. The disadvantages of combining disciplines are also discussed, along with the difficulties involved in attracting natural scientists to women's studies; changes that would occur if a feminist pedagogy were consistently employed within the natural sciences; & the potential for new intellectual & institutional configurations emerging from feminist science studies. 2 References. J. Lindroth

Die Autorin gibt einen Überblick über Entwicklung und Stand der Institutionalisierung der Women's Studies in Australien. Nach einer anfänglichen Begriffsklärung stellt sie einige Modelle der Women's Studies an den Hochschulen vor, die zwischen 1973 und 1974 entstanden sind. Sie beschreibt ferner die gesellschaftlichen Bedingungen und zukünftigen Herausforderungen der australischen Frauenforschung sowie die beruflichen Einsatzmöglichkeiten nach dem Studium der Women's Studies. Ihre tabellarische Übersicht, in welcher sie einzelne Hochschulstandorte, Bildungsabschlüsse und besondere Schwerpunkte auflistet, dokumentiert den hohen Institutionalisierungsgrad der Women's Studies in Australien. In ihren abschließenden Bemerkungen weist sie auf die 'rückständige' Verankerung der Frauenforschung in den Studien- und Prüfungsordnungen an deutschen Hochschulen hin. (ICI)

Die Autorin gibt einen Überblick über Entwicklung und Stand der Institutionalisierung der Women's Studies in Australien. Nach einer anfänglichen Begriffsklärung stellt sie einige Modelle der Women's Studies an den Hochschulen vor, die zwischen 1973 und 1974 entstanden sind. Sie beschreibt ferner die gesellschaftlichen Bedingungen und zukünftigen Herausforderungen der australischen Frauenforschung sowie die beruflichen Einsatzmöglichkeiten nach dem Studium der Women's Studies. Ihre tabellarische Übersicht, in welcher sie einzelne Hochschulstandorte, Bildungsabschlüsse und besondere Schwerpunkte auflistet, dokumentiert den hohen Institutionalisierungsgrad der Women's Studies in Australien. In ihren abschließenden Bemerkungen weist sie auf die 'rückständige' Verankerung der Frauenforschung in den Studien- und Prüfungsordnungen an deutschen Hochschulen hin. (ICI).