Feminism, Community, and the State

Developed by Kelsey Foster
Administrative Assistant
Office of the GWS Librarian
University of Wisconsin
January 2024

This bibliography is number 105f in the series “Bibliographies in Gender and Women’s Studies” published by the University of Wisconsin System Office of the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian. It was developed as part of “Honoring Our Past, Securing Our Future: Resilience and Reclamation in Higher Education – A set of bibliographies supporting the 2024 Conference of the UW System Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium.”

Introduction

How do academics in the fields of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies engage with the community? What does feminism mean for women and queer people in a post-Roe USA? How do feminism and other social movements impact public education, health, policy, law, and government? What is driving the backlash against feminism, diversity initiatives, and anti-racism? Who is modern feminism for? What does it look like in a global context? And what do you even do with a women’s studies degree, anyway? 

This bibliography examines historical and contemporary feminist approaches to civic engagement at the local, state, national, and global levels. Topics include politics, voting rights, reproductive justice, policing and prisons, queer and trans discrimination, and human rights. Examinations included focus on a variety of areas, from education, research-to-action policy making, clinical care, and advocacy work to engagement with the arts and community groups. We also highlight historical perspectives that illustrate how issues and organizations have evolved over time and provide lessons and inspiration for current and future movements.