"Every Women’s and Gender Studies student―and instructor―should read Transforming Scholarship. It provides practical advice for students’ transition from ‘everyone should take this course!’ to articulation of the personal and professional value of their degree, informed by the history and experiences of Women’s and Gender Studies students and professionals. There should be a copy of this great resource in every Women's Center."
― Jeannie Ludlow, Women’s Studies, Eastern Illinois University
TRANSFORMING SCHOLARSHIP
This second edition of Transforming Scholarship focuses on areas that undergraduates might want integrate into their women’s and gender studies education: study abroad, civic engagement projects, internships, independent studies, and honors theses. It includes exercises to help flesh out talents, passions, and skills, and how to link them to employment, information about the diversity of employment opportunities (and further professional training) available, and a plan to help prepare for graduation. It also delves into how to live a feminist life after graduation, including activism after college, building and sustaining feminist communities, and feminist parenting. The authors have also added new "Point of View" boxes throughout the book, where scholars focus on contemporary issues and deepen a student’s understanding of the organizations and individuals fighting to end sexist oppression.
An extremely valuable collection that captures the spirit of this emerging, important, and exciting field of study.
–Patricia Hill Collins, University of Maryland
THE INTERSECTIONAL APPROACH
Intersectionality, or the consideration of race, class, and gender, is one of the prominent contemporary theoretical contributions made by scholars in the field of women's studies that now broadly extends across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Taking stock of this transformative paradigm, The Intersectional Approach guides new and established researchers to engage in a critical reflection about the broad adoption of intersectionality that constitutes what the editors call a new "social literacy" for scholars.
"This work would be a stellar accomplishment by any seasoned scholar. That this is Berger's sociological 'debut' . . . is impressive and bodes well for future research into gender, inequality and deviance."
– Tammy L. Anderson, Theoretical Criminology
WORKABLE SISTERHOOD
Winner of the 2005 Best Book Award in Intersectionalities: Race, Gender, Ethnicity and Politics Category; Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association
Workable Sisterhood is an empirical look at sixteen HIV-positive women who have a history of drug use, conflict with the law, or a history of working in the sex trade. What makes their experience with the HIV/AIDS virus and their political participation different from their counterparts of people with HIV? Michele Tracy Berger argues that it is the influence of a phenomenon she labels "intersectional stigma," a complex process by which women of color, already experiencing race, class, and gender oppression, are also labeled, judged, and given inferior treatment because of their status as drug users, sex workers, and HIV-positive women.
The book provides useful ideas to experienced qualitative researchers as well as invaluable advice to novices conducting their first studies.
– Sociological Abstracts, Oct. 2004
GAINING ACCESS
Gaining access is a critical part of doing research, not only because one must 'get in' in order to gain information, but also because the quality of access affects what information is available to the researcher. Despite its importance, the literature on qualitative methods has not yet provided an extensive treatment of this issue. Gaining Access fills the void by offering useful, prescriptive advice on how to successfully enter different field settings for interviewing and observation. The detailed methodological guidelines presented by the authors are reinforced in a set of case studies by expert researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds on a wide variety of formal and informal settings, from working with ethnic minorities in Bosnia to studying prisons, sex workers, welfare offices, and the clergy. This book will provide useful ideas to experienced qualitative researchers as well as invaluable advice to novices conducting their first study.
BLACK WOMEN'S HEALTH
From heart disease and diabetes to HIV and obesity, Black women and girls face serious health risks, lagging behind their white counterparts by every measure of health, well-being, and fitness. In Black Women’s Health, Michele Tracy Berger shows us why this is the case, exploring how the health needs of Black women and girls are uniquely rooted in their experiences with racism, sexism, and class discrimination.
Drawing on interviews with mothers and their daughters, as well as compelling medical data, Berger provides insight into the larger patterns that place Black women at such high risk on a national level. She shows how Black mothers communicate with their daughters about health, sexuality, and intimacy, including how they attempt to promote healthy living standards even as they navigate widespread, systemic challenges.
Ultimately, Berger highlights the important role that family—and specifically, the relationship between mothers and daughters—plays in improving public health outcomes. Black Women’s Health takes a much-needed, intimate look at how Black women and girls navigate different paths to wellness.