Feminist Historiography in the Field: Writing New Histories

What is feminist history in the field of communication? This work addresses the challenges of countering standard histories in which both women and the work of feminist scholars are absent because of an emphasis in media history on “great men,À “great ideas,À and “great places.À Feminist scholars in six communication-related organizations were asked for their recollections of key works, key scholars, and key trends in feminist communication scholarship. Respondents identified dozens of figures outside of the field who were significant to their intellectual development. They identified the significance of divisions and associations conducive to feminist scholarship. They pointed out struggles and resistance, and the significance of shifts in thinking about gender and about gender, race, and culture. Suggestions are made for new directions in historical research to account for the histories of ideas, relationships, organizing, struggles and victories that characterize women’s communication as well as the work of feminist scholars.

Publisher: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, The Renaissance, Washington, DC, Aug 08, 2007
Year of Publication: 2007