Fox, Diana

Venkatesan, Madhavi

English

Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University

Journal of International Women's StudiesVolume 19Issue 3 Selected Papers of the Third World Conferenceon Women’s Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 2017Article 1Apr-2018Introduction to the Second Special Issue of theWorld Conference on Women’s Studies, ColomboSri Lanka JIWSMadhavi VenkatesanBridgewater State UniversityDiana FoxBridgewater State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiwsPart of the Women's Studies CommonsThis item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts.Recommended CitationVenkatesan, Madhavi and Fox, Diana (2018). Introduction to the Second Special Issue of the World Conference on Women’s Studies,Colombo Sri Lanka JIWS. Journal of International Women's Studies, 19(3), 1-2.Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol19/iss3/1This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2018 Journal of International Women’s Studies. 1 Journal of International Women’s Studies  Vol. 19, No. 3  April 2018   Introduction to the Second Special Issue of the World Conference on Women’s Studies, Colombo Sri Lanka JIWS  By Madhavi Venkatesan1 and Diana Fox2, Editors   We are pleased to present to you a special issue of the Journal of International Women’s Studies. This issue is a compilation of selected papers from the third iteration of the World Conference on Women’s Studies (WCWS), co-organized by the editors of this volume in partnership with The International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM), in partnership with Bridgewater State University, as a sponsoring organization, which took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka in May of 2017. The Conference, like the selected papers represents a range of topics related to Women’s Studies and feminist thought, and this diversity is also mimicked in the geographies represented. Patricia Mohammed’s opening piece about the challenge for feminism in addressing differences among women while simultaneously seeking to build coalitions across differences, frames the issue. Subsequent articles offer insights into women’s positionalities across multiple geopolitical, gendered, ethnic, religious, occupational, ecological, literary, and reproductive spaces, challenging readers to seek out potential points of intersection without eradicating or glossing over important differences.  In addition, this issue represents the second special issue of the JIWS coming out of the WCWS. The papers included increase awareness of issues faced by women across and within nations, emphasizing both local and transnational struggles and achievements. They also help to fulfill the mission of the JIWS, which is to provide a platform for the publication of articles by women largely, but not exclusively, from the global south, to highlight the range of feminist discourses, promoting conversations across the power divides of the publishing industry.                                                            1 Madhavi Venkatesan is a faculty member in the Department of Economics at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Her present academic interests focus on sustainable economic development and the role of women in fostering sustainability. She serves as the Executive Director of Sustainable Practices, a 501(c)3 non-profit she founded in 2016. Sustainable Practices is focused on increasing financial and economic literacy to facilitate sustainability. Madhavi earned a PhD in Economics from Vanderbilt University, a Masters in Environmental Management from Harvard University, and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. She is the author of numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters on the subject of sustainability and economics as well as the texts Economic Principles: A Primer, A Framework for Sustainable Practices, Foundations in Microeconomics, A Framework for Sustainable Practices and Foundations in Macroeconomics, A Framework for Sustainable Practices. 2 Diana Fox, Professor and Chair of the Anthropology Department at Bridgewater State University, is a cultural and applied anthropologist, scholar-activist, and documentary film producer. Her work focuses on the Anglophone Caribbean, particularly Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago where she researches issues of gender and sexual diversity, women’s social movement activism for ecological sustainability, women's human rights and transnational feminisms and activism. She serves on a number of boards and committees including the Sexualities Working Group of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA), the international advisory board of the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project (FACRP) in Trinidad and Tobago, and is the Founder and Editor of the open access, online Journal of International Women’s Studies. Dr. Fox is the executive producer of two documentary films, Earth, Water, Woman: Community and Sustainability in Trinidad and Tobago and Many Loves One Heart: Stories of Resilience and Courage about the LGBTQ movement in Jamaica. She is the recipient of three Fulbright awards and many other grants and has published a number of books and articles.  2 Journal of International Women’s Studies  Vol. 19, No. 3  April 2018 With the release of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2016, there has been an increased visibility of the role and significance of women in fostering sustainability. Though SDG 5 specifically addresses gender in its mandate for gender equality, women and gender differentials are addressed as attributions of other goals including SDG 1, no poverty; SDG 3, good health and well-being; SDG 4, quality education; SDG 8, decent work and economic growth; SDG 10, reduced inequality, and SDG 11, sustainable cities and communities. With 12 years remaining to attain the aggressive targets set, fostering greater understanding of the present role of women, the obstacles they face, and the policies they are forging to promote equality.   

Introduction to the Second Special Issue of the World Conference on Women’s Studies, Colombo Sri Lanka JIWS

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Introduction to the Second Special Issue of the World Conference on Women’s Studies, Colombo Sri Lanka JIWS

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