The State of the Art in Feminist Scholarship in Communication

Abstract

The emergence of feminist scholarship in the field of communication follows, in many respects, a semilar historical trajectory to that of feminist visibility in the culture at large. When the second wave of feminism emerged in public consciousness around 1970, communication scholars began to attend more closely to the role of gender in communication practices. That attention was inflected by the concerns of the women's movement-exposing sexism and sex-role socialization, interrogating the role of power in relations between men and women, understanding how awareness of the influence of gender requires rethinking claims of universality based on male experience and behaviors.

Engaging Undergraduates in Feminist Classrooms: An Exploration of Professors’ Practices

“…As action research, this project "seeks to connect scholarship directly to ongoing struggles" (Mitchell, 2004, p. 210). As a feminist project, this study concerns itself with issues of gender, race, and sexuality with a goal of social change and transformation (Dow & Condit, 2005). Semi-structured interviews are common in feminist research because they allow "respondents to introduce topics that [are] of interest or important to them that [the researcher] had not originally considered pursuing" (Webber, 2006, p. 455).…”

“…As a feminist, I feel an ethical responsibility to address issues of human identity and diversity from a social justice orientation (Dow & Condit, 2005). At the same time, I am sensitive to the concerns of scholars like Ellsworth (1989) and Bondestam (2011), who warn against using the power dynamics of the university to colonize the intellectual space of the classroom.…”

Beyond Rights and Virtues as Foundation for Women's Agency: Emma Goldman's Rhetoric of Free Love

“…Others have challenged contemporary feminine style rhetoric, as it may be used for nonfeminist ends or in ways that may harm women (Foust, 2004;Parry-Giles & Parry-Giles, 1996). Dow and Condit (2005) emphasize that femininity and feminine rhetoric are inflected by the experiences of race and class-perhaps even more than is acknowledged in early scholarship on the feminine style.…”

Research in Rhetoric: A Glance at our Recent Past, Present, and Potential Future

“…What that essay reminds us is quite simple: who reads what is written*who passes judgment on what gets heard*matters. While there are several essays that chronicle the status of research on women (Dow & Condit, 2005;Foss & Foss, 1983;Meyer, 2007;Spitzack & Carter, 1987), this is a singular piece that merits being implanted in our collective memory.…”