Historically, riding bicycles was thought to corrupt women’s innocence. More perniciously, opponents to women riding bicycles have objected to “free, untrammeled womanhood,” to quote Susan B. Anthony. Has that attitude changed much over the years? Maybe not. Read more here.
Day: March 27, 2013
Gill Howie
We are enormously sad to report the death of Gill Howie, who has been absolutely vital to SWIP UK, remaining on the executive committee throughout her illness.
From Barrie Dainton:
I am sad to report that Gill Howie died yesterday (26th March) after spending some time in the Marie Curie Hospice in Woolton. I will pass on any further news about her funeral and memorial.
Gill’s most influential work was in feminist philosophy, especially the intersections between Feminism, Marxism and Critical Theory. She published widely and edited a number of collections in these areas, including the widely read Third Wave Feminism: a Critical Exploration. She was series editor of the Palgrave series ‘Breaking Feminist Waves’, and recently published Between Feminism and Materialism: A Question of Method (2010).
Her philosophical work grew out of her commitment to social and political activism. She served on the national executive committee of the AUT as well as of the British Philosophical Association and the Society for Women in Philosophy. She was a conscientious and approachable Head of Philosophy, who cared deeply for the health and vigour of the Department. She will be very much missed by her colleagues and students, by her two young sons, and all her friends.
More recently and in the light of her own experience of a long struggle with illness she led a number of interdisciplinary research projects aimed at exploring the philosophical significance of life-limiting illness. That she was unable to complete these projects adds to the sense of tragic untimeliness of her death.
Please leave your thoughts and memories of Gill in comments on this post.
In case you thought racism was over…
The “White Student Union” at Towson University in Maryland has announced they’re going to start doing nighttime “patrols” of campus. Pretty unbelievably (and by unbelievable I only mean that I cannot fathom the amount of cognitive dissonance involved) they claim not to be racist in the least, and yet refer to concern regarding “black predators,” and–at least some members–express an openness to the permissibility of slavery.
Truly disgusting. You can read more about it here.
Feminist Philosophers 