Introduction & Table of Contents

A WORKING HISTORY OF WOMEN, GENDER, SEXUALITY STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST¹

Erika Arthur, MA Candidate, UMass Department of History, Advanced Feminist Studies Graduate Certificate Candidate, & WGSS Alum in collaboration with Arlene Avakian, WGSS Professor Emeritus

INTRODUCTION

Arlene Avakian began working at the program when the department began and retired in 2011. Prior to retirement she agreed to work, in collaboration with one of our alums and graduate students, to compile a narrative history of the department, its origin as a program, the twists and turns, changes and challenges along the way. The final draft of this document was finalized in early 2012. History keeps moving of course and many changes have happened since including increased faculty numbers and more! Many thanks to Arlene Avakian and Erika Arthur. Below is the history they wrote. Read it all or click to the section that most interests you.

Note: WOST is an abbreviation for women’s studies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• The Setting: Political Activism in 1970s Western Massachusetts 
• The First Committees to Establish Women's Studies
• Strategy Debates: What's in a Name?
• A Proposal Emerges in 1973
• The Program is Approved: Now to Find Funding and Establish A Structure 
• Students Enroll: Planning and Development Continue
• Campus Programming Expands on Women's Issues
• Enrollment Grows Straining Limited Resources 
• Going from Pilot to Permanent: The Struggle
• The First Faculty Positions
• Challenges of Feminist Pedagogy and Practice
• Feminist Organizing: The Occupation of the Collegian
• Racism, Black Women and the Teaching of Women’s Studies
• The Staff Fights Exploitation
• Curriculum Development and Expansion
• Scholarship and Organizing
• Marking the First Decade
• Combating Racism on Campus
• Faculty and Staff Changes, Scholarship Advances
• 1988 Program Review
• Occupation of New Africa House
• 1990: the Program and the Field Continue to Grow
• Faculty Changes
• The ALANA Letter Precipitates Curricular Changes
• Faculty and Staff Arrivals/Departures and Innovations
• The Graduate Program is born and Organizing Continues
• Innovative New Directions: Intersectionality
• Beyond the U.S. Borders
• 2005 Program Review  (AQAD) 
• Co-Mentoring Project with Bennett College for Women
• Ann Ferguson Retires
• Five College Feminist Sciences Studies
• Marking 35 Years: Women’s Studies Program Becomes Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Department
• Arlene Avakian Retires, National Search for Chair
• Office Improvements
• Looking Forward for the Field

¹ We call this narrative a working history because although we had some documents to work with, much of it is based on the recollections of people involved in the early days of the program; our memories are not what they used to be and some of what we discussed happened more than three decades ago.