Hugo Schwyzer

Jessica has a post up at Feministing to throw some feminist love out there to Women’s and Gender Studies departments. She writes:

I’ve been critical of academic feminism in the past - writing that it’s not as accessible as it should be, and that it makes feminism something that only folks who are fortunate enough to go to college can take part in. While I think those criticisms do hold water, I also think we often don’t give enough love to the amazing teachers and students in these departments - the way the organize, the way they teach and the way they change people’s lives. So, much love to all of the teachers I’ve had and to all of the departments out there making a difference every day - you are all amazing.

It’s nice to be appreciated, and as someone who has taught women’s and gender studies for many years, I won’t disagree that courses in these subjects do have the very real capacity to change lives. When folks ask me why I teach these courses (in addition to my women’s history class, I also offer courses on Lesbian and Gay History; Men and Masculinity in America and “Beauty and the Body”) I invariably answer that my goal is to “raise up young feminists.”

That doesn’t mean indoctrination; it doesn’t mean an insistence on a narrow interpretation of what feminism is; it doesn’t mean a refusal to brook thoughtful criticism. It does mean that teaching is about more than the transmission of knowledge — good teaching is about inspiring students to see the world (and their own place within it) in a radically new way. Good teaching offers an antidote to passivity and the easy if chilly comfort of late adolescent cynicism. I don’t require or expect all my students to “claim the name” of feminism, but I do very much want to give each and every one of them exposure to the “feminist tool kit” with which they can begin to remake their lives, their relationships, and their communities.

In any case, you can comment at Feministing (or here, if you prefer) if you want to join in sending out some love to my colleagues across the nation and the world who do this vital work.