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Alexis De Veaux is associate professor and chair of the Department of Women's Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
How do you respond to the recurring criticism that women's studies is not a "serious" academic discipline?
"Recurring criticisms" of that type are indicative of the struggles women still contend with, in this and other cultures. The study of women's experiences, both nationally and globally, recognizes the centrality of women to healthy societies, democratic principles, a just distribution of the world's wealth and resources. When such study is not viewed as serious, then no society, culture or academic institution can be taken seriously.
What is the current direction of women's studies in general? How has it changed since the days of the bra-burning feminists?
I think the general shift, in terms of scholarship and debates around emerging scholarship, especially in the last two decades, is rooted in an awareness of the global realities of women, and of the need to value and validate non-Western analyses of women's experiences. The second part of your question reduces centuries of women's struggles for economic, racial, social and political justice to a very narrow stereotype of women activists as out of control, if not lascivious, on some level. Not only that, it ties women's movements globally to perceptions of the American women's movement.
What is the focus of women's studies at UB?
Our focus is to provide undergraduate and graduate students—female and male—with the intellectual tools to critically evaluate the historic, social, cultural and contemporary factors shaping women's lives in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States. This international perspective positions Women's Studies at UB to remain at the forefront of changes in the field.
How does the Gender Institute fit in with the department?
The Department of Women's Studies and the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender are independent of each other, but I think we share some common goals; one of which is to advocate for campus-wide support of and raising consciousness about issues such as gender, as one of the multiple indices of difference some women face.
Why is it important for UB to hold activities such as Gender Week?
Because, as you suggested in your first question, people don't take Women's Studies seriously; thus they don't take seriously how gender expectations of women and men shape who is being taken seriously and who is not.
What do you do with a degree in women's studies? How does it fit into a economy that favors technological skills, rather than those developed by the humanities?
Students with a degree in Women's Studies follow a number of academic and career tracks, including law school, governmental service, employment in the public and private sectors, the health professions, arts and culture, graduate school, the teaching professions. It would be wrong to assume that students in the humanities are technologically disadvantaged, or that a degree in the humanities would make them an ill-fit in today's economy.
You're working on a biography of poet Audre Lorde. What prompted you to choose her as the subject for a book?
Well, that's a long story. Here's the short version: I didn't choose her; the executors of her estate chose me. I've completed the book. The title is "Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde." It will be published by W.W. Norton in Spring 2004. It took eight years to complete. I remain honored that I was chosen for this extraordinary project. I'm glad it's over. I long for my own life now.
Do you see young women today becoming complacent about gender issues?
No, I think that they are quite knowledgeable of the gender expectations they're confronted with. Some even identify as feminists and are out about it, too!
What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have answered it?
I wish you had asked what UB can do to promote Women's Studies more across the campus. I would have answered: promoting women's rights issues as human rights issues and promoting human rights issues as UB priorities.