Clare Hemmings writes:
"The Department of Gender Studies was delighted to be able to offer a week-long intensive course for PhD students across the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳, from SOAS, UCL and Goldsmiths on ‘Intersectional Politics’ in May.
This experimental course featured the work of our Centennial Professor, Kimberlé Crenshaw, who developed the concept of ‘intersectionality’ in a Critical Legal Studies context in the late 1980s. The course allowed students to follow the development of both Prof. Crenshaw's work and the many 'lives of intersectionality' since its inception. Students were delighted to engage in seminar discussions of texts, listen to lectures, and develop group and individual projects based on their own research.
There were several things that stuck out for me as memorable. First was Prof. Crenshaw's generosity in talking to and engaging student projects over the week as a whole. Second was the importance of bringing together research students from across the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ (from Gender, Media, Social Policy, Sociology and Geography) with students in Sociology and Media from Goldsmiths, Architecture from UCL, and Gender Studies from SOAS: this really made for a fruitful engagement and was a testimony to the value of reaching beyond institutional boundaries. Third was the hospitality of the PhD Academy, who offered their lovely space for the week long course, provided a reception and lunches, and were on hand to deal with any problems.
Many thanks to all involved with the course at design, research and delivery levels, particularly Hazel Johnstone (Gender) and Loraine Evans (PhD Academy). "