Irish women's studies and community activism: Reflections and exemplars

Abstract

This paper describes the successful relationship between the grassroots women's movement and Women's Studies in the Republic of Ireland. Examples that illustrate this unusual and energizing interdependence are presented. They include: innovative programming designed by and for Irish women at the 1987 International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women; a variety of forms of academic and community-based Women's Studies programs; a national conference on women and poverty organized by working class and poor women; and effective networking of feminists and women's organizations on a national level. Commonalities and differences between the Irish women's movement and the international women's movement are outlined. Factors that may help to explain the strenght, tenacity, and uniqueness of the connections between Irish Women's Studies and Irish feminism are discussed, as well as tensions within and between them. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of working to maintain and develop the inherent and essential connections of academic Women's Studies and the grassroots women's movement in other cultural contexts.