The GMDC @ work: Hosting Gender and Media scholar

In November, I will be visiting Gender Links again for a much-needed shot of inspiration and know how. I first learned of Gender Links in 2004 when I searched for a dissertation topic at the University of Texas at Austin in the USA. I wanted to do something about journalism and women in a global context. I became interested in the gender mainstreaming policy of the Inter Press Service, which turned into my dissertation, and in the process I came across the names of Coleen Lowe Morna and Pat Made. This trail led me to Gender Links.

As a South African, I was amazed that through all my research in the United States, I discovered a gem so close to home. I realized that Gender Links is at the forefront of gender politics in Africa, if not in the world. My first research project after graduation was to visit Gender Links and to study the challenges and opportunities the organization faces. I have since published my research in an article titled “Challenging the Lion in its Den: Dilemmas of Gender and Media Activism in South Africa” in Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies (2010, Issue 31(1), pp. 68-88).

When I return to Gender Links later this year, I am hoping to gather information for several projects. First, I will be doing research and looking for contacts that could help me with a book on gender and media. Second, I will be looking for materials for a new course, titled “Gender and Media: Global Views,” that I will be teaching at Butler University next semester. Third, I am hoping to gather information for a course on global women’s issues I teach.