Welcome to the Nancy's Chair
Blog! For over 25 years the Nancy's Chair in Women's Studies at Mount Saint
Vincent University has brought researchers, community activists and
organizations together to share, celebrate and enhance what we know about
diverse women's lives and knowledge.
The vision of the Chair when it
was created was "to advance the equality and status of women through
teaching, research and community and professional service.” The Chair is named
in honour of Nancy Ruth, feminist and activist. With this blog, we bring the
Nancy's Chair and its work into an era of social media to continue to build
connections and share what we know.
Thirteen women have brought their
own strengths and energy to the work of the Chair. At the 25th anniversary celebration
of the Chair in 2011, Sylvia Hamilton (Nancy's Chair 2001 -2004) suggested that
the Nancy's Chair acted as a bridge for her work, enabling her work as a
filmmaker. She suggested "Every Nancy's Chair holder's story will be
different based upon individual circumstances. But in broad strokes, regardless
of how we come to the post, the value of the infrastructural support, the
credibility and reputation of the institution, and the unapologetic focus on
women is tremendous."
As the thirteenth Nancy's Chair,
I share that vision of the Chair as a bridge. I see the Chair as an opportunity
to bring Women's Studies to the community and the community to Women's Studies.
In building and sustaining that bridge between community and university-based
feminist work, we remain aware of the diversity of women, the intersecting
experiences that illustrate privilege as well as marginalization, and the
amazing strength of women and women’s organizing across the Atlantic region. I
am honoured to hold the Chair for the next two years.
This blog offers a public space
for sharing knowledge, insight and action. Over the next two years, we will
invite a variety of guests to share their thoughts about what is happening in
Nova Scotia and the Atlantic region more broadly. These may be
- a response or invitation to community events,
- a feminist perspective on a news item,
- a reflection on the potential of Women’s Studies
and feminism for social change,
- showcasing the work of a feminist community
organization,
- a commentary on a government policy,
- a commemoration of an International or National
Day of celebration or remembrance
- a poem, story or letter
- photos or video
We invite you to submit an idea
for a guest blog as well as comment on blog posts. We will use Twitter and
Facebook to alert people to blog posts and offer a chance for them to comment
on and share what is on the blog.
The team working on this blog
include Mary Lou O’Hara, Nancy’s Chair Assistant, Susan Manning, graduate
student in Women’s and Gender Studies at MSVU/Saint Mary’s University, and
Deborah Stienstra, 13th Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies. Please contact us at: nancyschairmsvu@gmail.com.
We look forward to building and
sustaining this bridge and blog together!
