�鶹ӰԺ

A note from the Chair:

Deepti Misri
WGST Interim Chair

Dear WGST Friends,

We’ve been through some big transitions since you heard from us last! We are growing and thriving - we welcomed Professor Leila Gómez and Professor Hillary Potter to Women and Gender Studies this fall, and we are in the process of growing further in the coming months. As we move towards the close of the fall semester, we’re wrapping up a game of musical chairs: we bid adieu this past summer to our previous department chair, Professor Kaifa Roland, and we are excited to soon welcome our new chair, Professor Julie Carr, who will be joining us in the spring. We also prepare to bid a fond farewell to Professor Robert Buffington, who will be retiring this December as Professor Emeritus.

Our faculty continue to win fellowships and grants in recognition of their excellent research. Professor Maisam Alomar and Professor Emmanuel David have won fellowships from the Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA) to support their respective book projects. Professor Kristie Soares received a Kayden Research Award to reproduce archival materials for their forthcoming book. We've already got other good news in the pipeline that we'll share in our next newsletter, so do keep a look out here!

We've returned to the classroom, and life back on campus has picked up pace. Our classes are packed to capacity and our undergraduate major, minor and certificates continue to see lively interest, as does our Graduate Certificate in Women and Gender Studies. Our staff members, Alicia Turchette and Valerie Bhat, have kept us afloat through this latest set of transitions with their usual grace and skill. 

Even as the return to campus has restored some sense of normalcy, we know that the pandemic is still a reality, and that our students, staff and faculty have been through a lot. For many in our community, the impact of the pandemic has merged with that of other ongoing public health crises such as police brutality, colonial warfare, economic injustice, racism, misogyny, ableism, queerphobia and transphobia. Our field of women and gender studies commits us to doing the work towards healing from these multiple crises through critical reflection and action, and this is the spirit in which we will seek to move forward.

As we head into fall break, we wish you all a safe, restorative and thoughtful holiday season. May your dinner table be full of warmth and the best kind of ferment. Thank you for your support of Women and Gender Studies. You know we'd love to hear from you!

Sincerely,
Deepti Misri
Interim Chair, Women and Gender Studies