Gender Studies

Through exploring the lived, embodied experience of ourselves and others, we can learn how to cultivate a compassionate and inclusive society. 

We are in the midst of a new wave of interest in gender. Popular cultural phenomena such as #metoo dominate the media, and flourishing public conversations regarding political representation, sexual and family violence, transgender rights, the legacies of Western feminism, or radicalisation are all engaged with questions of gender (as well as its intersections with other markers of identity).

Meanwhile, workplaces everywhere are under increasing pressure to address unconscious bias and embrace diversity and inclusion.

 

The stakes are often high, and the debates can sometimes seem toxic and polarising.

But does it have to be this way?

Throughout this interdisciplinary major, you will be challenged to develop enhanced awareness of self and others, and advanced skills in negotiating difference. In doing so, you’ll be invited to practice – in the words of the celebrated feminist scholar bell hooks – a “wise and loving politics” grounded in respect, commitment and compassion. 

Our course

Study Gender Studies 

Our projects

Gender Studies Convenor Dr Chantal Bourgault du Coudray’s current research highlights relational skills in listening, dialogue and experiential learning. Attention to these skills is central to the field of Gender Studies and their transdisciplinary applications are evidenced through her research collaborations below. 
 
'Pit Lakes on Country' project for The Australian Cooperative Research Centre on Transformations in Mining Economies

This project for the Australian Cooperative Research Centre on Transformations in Mining Economies is focused on identifying the opportunities and barriers for post-mining land and water uses of the lakes that form when mine pits cease operations. Pit lakes are a major and growing environmental concern, and their restoration, rehabilitation or repurposing is a complex or ‘wicked’ problem.

Chantal is leading a transdisciplinary methodology to support a team of scientists and social scientists to deliver research that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of multiple stakeholders including First Nations rights-holders, mining companies, government regulators and local communities.

Locating Loss from Climate Change in Everyday Places
The Australian Research Council Discovery Project entitled Locating Loss from Climate Change in Everyday Places investigated loss within the contexts of fire, drought and flooding in Western Australia. The project’s interdisciplinary approach explored how community members in rural and urban places make value trade-offs and decisions over desirable futures. It provided insights into everyday grief and hope, in familiar places, in order to and support inclusive planning for place-based adaptation.

Collaborations

 

Four students sitting in Sunken Garden and laughing

Our major is affiliated with the Australian Women's and Gender Studies Association (AWGSA), which is the peak body for gender studies in Australia. UWA periodically hosts the biannual AWGSA conference.

Within the UWA community, Gender Studies staff are active contributors to several committees or projects related to diversity, equity and inclusion, including the Gender Equity Working Group, the Athena Swan Charter and the Safe and Respectful Communities Working Group.

We also enjoy a close relationship with UWA’s Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, particularly on account of its Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art, which we visit with our students whenever we can. Staff associated with Gender Studies have also presented public talks on this and other collections. 

Contact Dr Chantal Bourgault du Coudray

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Research repository

Read more about Dr Chantal Bourgault du Coudray

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