“When a topic looks good on my c.v., I move on”: Esther Rothblum’s career in groundbreaking research

Abstract

For a special issue on International Perspectives on Lesbian Psychology, we interviewed Esther Rothblum, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Lesbian Studies since its establishment in 1995. In this interview, Rothblum describes her socialization into feminism at Smith College, the dominant role men played in psychology in the 1970s, and how she found herself studying the psychology of women. Rothblum describes some of her findings from rigorous studies on lesbians and their children, transgender people, and asexuality. Reflecting on her experience editing three different journals (Women & Therapy, Journal of Lesbian Studies, and Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society), she explains the skills important for young scholars working on cutting-edge research. This included developing a thick skin, learning to expect changes in identity labels and psychological theories, and finally, the importance of methodologies in the training of budding psychologists.

Keywords:

• Lesbian
• fat studies
• women psychology
• feminism
• editor

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.