Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences celebrates International Women’s Day

Academics and professional staff across the University’s Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) have joined together to celebrate the impact of their work as part of International Women’s Day.

Leading lights from across HASS, including those from History, Politics, Archaeology, Modern Languages, English and Creative Writing, Film Studies, and Islamic Studies, showcased their research and community impact at a special event on the Streatham campus.

Staged in the Roborough Building, the celebration included an electronic gallery of female academics and two panel discussions that touched upon important topics such as community and voice, belonging and solidarity.

It also reflected upon the overarching theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, that of ‘Give to Gain’, which evoked a shared desire to ‘give forward’ across the University community in support of Fairness and Social Justice.

“From the inspiring posters to the thoughtful panel conversations, the theme of ‘Give to Gain’ was powerfully embedded within the event,” said Professor Helen Berry, renowned historian and Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, who opened the event and chaired one of the panels. “We had an array of diverse and brilliant presentations, ranging from women publishers in Latin America to feminist creativity, from the archaeology and history of work itself to the process of recovering women’s stories that have been forgotten or overwritten. Together, it brought hope that we can all make a difference to society.”

Organisers of the event created a scrolling digital gallery of headshots and quotations from female colleagues about their work at the University. There were also stands, where academics showcased some of their current research projects. These included studies on the contribution of women to film and television; their impact upon the early modern English economy; and the connections between 19th century women’s writing and decorative art.

Two 55-minute panels followed on ‘Sharing biographies and empowering experiences’ and ‘Women, Work, Inclusion’. These encompassed a broad range of subjects and countries, ranging from 17th-century philosophers to contemporary publishers, from France and Russia to Venezuela, Italy and the UK.

“Between the stalls, the displays and posters, and the discussions, there emerged a trans-historical, trans-disciplinary panorama, presenting women’s contributions to culture and society,” said Professor Adam Watt, fellow Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, and an expert in French literature. “Female colleagues at Exeter lead the way in a vast array of fields, and we were delighted to come together in celebration of their achievements and those of the women who came before them, whose voices were often not heard or were stifled or drowned out.”