Redefining the Work of Feminist Praxis: Making Space for a (Rebellious) Undergraduate Feminist Research Group

ABSTRACT

This article traces the practices and outcomes of an undergraduate research group that began organically to foster research and activist collaborations in a small group setting and without the rubric of a structured course, formal lab setting, or formal institutional backing. We consider several outcomes of this group: (1) Graduate school entry and preparation for graduate school; (2) The importance of feminist friendships and feminist community among students; (3) The fusion between scholar/activist identities, with clear emphasis on de-centering whiteness, challenging patriarchy, and undermining homophobia and transphobia; and (4) The investment in mentoring and nurturing relationships with students across race, class, gender, and sexual identity lines. In particular, we argue that students of color, gender queer/trans/LGBT students, and students from working class backgrounds are especially served by such models of mentoring and community, particularly as feminist mentoring can contribute to the work of social justice for underprivileged students.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the members of the Feminist Research on Gender and Sexuality Group for their many contributions to this article and to our feminist community together.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Breanne Fahs

Breanne Fahs is a professor of women and gender studies at Arizona State University. She has authored or edited eight books, including Burn It Down, (Verso Books, 2020), Women, Sex, and Madness, and Firebrand Feminis’m She has published widely in the areas of women’s sexuality, critical embodiment, radical feminism, and political activism. She also works as a clinical psychologist in private practice.

Eric Swank

Eric Swank is an associate professor of social and cultural analysis at Arizona State University. He has studied the ways education is related to sexual prejudice, anti-racist actions, LGBT activism, and feminist sentiments. With over 55 publications, he has written on the ways that schooling can explain pro-life politics and on greater political engagement by sexual minorities.