This post comes courtesy of Dr. Johanna Foster, jfoster@monmouth.edu:

CALLING ALL ELDER WOMEN FREEDOM FIGHTERS!
I am a sociologist of gender in the Department of Political Science and Sociology, and Director of the Gender Studies Program, at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. I am currently seeking participants for a study of women in the U.S. who were participants in the historic “wave” of feminist activism in the 1960s and 1970s- activism which included political work conducted with a singular focus on sexism as well as activism with an intersectional approach that confronted the intersections of hetero/sexism, classism, racism, and imperialism Through in-depth interviews, I hope to learn how women who lived through this transformative era, and were involved as movement participants, currently make sense of the victories and setbacks in struggles for gender justice over the last 40-50 years. Committed to not repeating the mistakes of past research, I am particularly interested in learning about the experiences and perspectives of active women of color.

Here, I define “active” in a pretty broad way to include any level of collective work where women self-identified as activists in collective work for gender justice that was beyond a fleeting endeavor. For example, I would be happy to talk to women who were regular volunteers of feminist organizations (beyond mailing list memberships), or participated in direct actions, women’s initiatives, consciousness-raising groups, collectives, social justice teaching, or some kind of direct service from feminist perspectives, among other forms of political work. I am particularly interested in learning how the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality have both shaped women’s trajectories in gender politics, and also their reflections back as older women.

There is no commitment beyond the single interview, which takes about 2 hours, and I could meet folks at a time/location that is convenient for them if they are in the NJ/NY area, or over the phone if not.

If you know of any women in your personal or professional networks that might be interested in participating in this study, or if you, yourself, would like to share your reflections with me, please feel free to contact me at the email address/phone below, and/or forward this email along. I am happy to provide any additional information about the study, including Monmouth University Institutional Review Board approval documentation.

Thanks so much for your help. Please e-mail me at jfoster@monmouth.edu if you are interested in participating.