Autonomy vs Integration Debate
1. Introduction
There is an important debate and dilemma in and between states
about whether or not the institutionalization of women's studies-----as
an autonomous department at universities-----better sustains the
development of women's studies than the incorporation and
integration of women's studies into traditional disciplines as a purely
academic subfield.
In the 1980s, Renate Klein showed that women's studies had a long
way to go until it became a separate field of its own, rather than an
'add-on' within the present male-centred compartmentalization of
knowledge-making.
2. Focus on Women Studies
Women's Studies offered feminist politics an institutional location
end of 1960s, the teaching of "Women's Studies" had started in some
universities of America – in institutions known as Women's Studies
Centres.
This model inspired other countries to set up such centres - developed
research and teaching profiles focusing on women and gender relations
from an interdisciplinary perspective. – questions on research
establishing men as humans and women as other deviant sex
Women’s everyday life and probs made objs of research in fields like
literary studies, history, anthropology, sociology, etc.
1970 – less than 20 WS course in America – first at San Diego Uni
1998 – 9 Phd programs in America and Canada
Today – 700 + colleges and unis
National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) – 1977 – America –
communication network
Newsletters + journals published on WS
Florence Howe + Paul Lauteur – Feminist Press – 1970
3. Autonomy vs Integration debate
practitioners debated the merits of "autonomy or integration?"
There can be two approaches:
o Mainstreaming (the integration of women's studies into existing
disciplines and the incorporation of feminist perspectives into the
traditional curriculum)
o autonomous (creating separate women's studies programmes).
It is the most important debate regarding the institutionalization of
women's studies.
At stake was whether women's studies should be a distinct field or
whether it should be located throughout the mainstream.
The core disagreed as to whether to establish an autonomous
enterprise and separate location for women's studies or it strives for
integration in various existing disciplines.
Autonomy Integration
Focus on Separate Entities: Mainstreaming Women's
Advocates for autonomy support Studies: Advocates for integration
the creation of independent emphasize incorporating feminist
Women’s Studies departments or perspectives and methodologies
centers. into existing academic disciplines.
Unique Identity: Aims to Broader Reach: Integration aims
establish a visible identity and to make feminist insights more
power base for Women’s Studies, widely accessible across various
ensuring its distinct place within fields, thereby influencing broader
the academic landscape. academic discourse.
Protection of Feminist Content: Risk of Isolation: Concerns that
Concerns about the "watering separate Women’s Studies
down" of feminist perspectives if departments could become
integrated into traditional isolated or marginalized within the
disciplines. broader academic community.
Independent Decision-Making: Influence Beyond a Niche: By
Autonomy allows for control over embedding feminist perspectives
budget, staffing, and curriculum, into traditional disciplines,
fostering an environment where integrationists believe that
feminist scholarship can thrive Women's Studies can achieve a
without external influence. more profound influence in shaping
academic thought.
Support for Coherent Skepticism of Separation: Those
Development: Belief that a in favor of integration argue that
separate structure is necessary for focusing too much on separate
the coherent and unique evolution centers might limit the overall
of feminist research and teaching. impact of feminist scholarship on
mainstream disciplines.
Ghettoization Concern: They Addressing Gender Biases:
believe that separating Women's They believe that integrating
Studies from mainstream women's studies into mainstream
disciplines prevents the field from disciplines helps transform
being marginalized and allows a gendered knowledge production by
dedicated focus on feminist addressing gender biases directly
scholarship. – no dilution with within each field.
traditional disciplines
Gloria Bowles and Renate
Klein's View: In their anthology
"Theories of Women's Studies"
(1983), contributors express
concerns that integrating Women's
Studies could lead to a dilution of
feminist goals and scholarship.
Critique: Critics of autonomy fear Critique: Critics of integration,
that it might result in a meanwhile, worry that feminist
marginalized status for women's perspectives could be watered
studies, limiting its influence to down or co-opted when mixed with
isolated academic centers. mainstream disciplines, losing the
depth and specificity of
independent feminist scholarship.
“To carve out a space within “Women's studies should be a
the university for women’s part of all disciplines to ensure
studies is to make a political that every field of study
statement, to argue that confronts gender biases and
women’s experiences and works towards more equitable
knowledge have been knowledge production.” —
marginalized and deserve a Sara Ahmed, Living a Feminist
separate, focused academic Life.
pursuit.” — Gloria Bowles and
Renate Klein, Theories of
Women’s Studies.
