Welcome to Feminist Formations

Abstract

Welcome to Feminist Formations Rebecca Ropers-Huilman and Adela C. Licona Welcome to the first issue of Feminist Formations. We are proud and excited to present a renewed resource for those of us who are interested in and informed by feminist knowledge and action as they shape the fields of Women's Studies, Gender Studies, and Sexuality Studies. When Rebecca wrote her editorial for the first issue of 2009, she primarily focused on changes external to Feminist Formations. Already at that time, though, changes were beginning to occur for the journal itself. First, over the summer, the editorial board changed the title from National Women's Studies Association Journal to Feminist Formations. This new title more clearly matches our expanded focus. Specifically, we mean to signify that we encourage transnational exploration of issues that relate to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in a wide variety of contexts. Second, in conjunction with that title change, we developed a new mission: Feminist Formations (formerly the NWSA Journal [1988–2009]) cultivates a forum where feminists from around the world articulate research, theory, activism, teaching, and learning, thereby showcasing new feminist formations. An interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal, we publish innovative work by scholars, activists, and practitioners in feminist, gender, and sexuality studies. Our subject matter includes national, global, and transnational feminist thought and practice; the cultural and social politics of genders and sexualities; and historical and contemporary studies of gendered experience. The journal values established and emerging lines of inquiry and methods that engage the complexities of gender as implicated in forms of power such as race, ethnicity, class, nation, migration, ability, and religion. We have assembled an outstanding list of editorial and advisory board members who, through their scholarship and activism, are poised to help us fulfill this mission. Their wisdom has strengthened us in the past and will enable [End Page vii] us to enrich our ongoing and future contributions to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Rebecca's 2009 editorial also focused on the common purposes that we share with the National Women's Studies Association, referring particularly to building feminist community and being committed to promoting both experienced and emerging scholars. While the journal board and the NWSA continue to share common goals, we determined this past year that we can grow independently toward our visions. Feminist Formations will continue to have a presence at the NWSA conference and will partner with them and other feminist organizations in the future when it is generative to do so. Additionally, we wholeheartedly welcome the participation of NWSA members in the journal's development. The various formations that feminism can create are indeed multiple, and both the journal and the organization will continue to contribute to those formations. We have been working intensely to enrich the resources of Feminist Formations throughout this transition. Toward this end we have an invigorated Web presence. Please visit our Web site, www.cehd.umn.edu/Feminist-Formations, to learn more about the journal and other resources available for you. There, you can also join our Facebook page and check out the many ways to participate in the journal. Additionally, you can look at our new "Formations and Locations" section that will feature short descriptions about feminist endeavors around the world. You can also see a sample article and look at previous tables of contents to find valuable resources for your research, teaching, and activism. While most of the articles published in this volume were accepted under the NWSAJ's mission, they certainly highlight feminist formations in a variety of contexts and deepen our understandings of gendered lives in myriad contexts. This issue starts with Nels P. Highberg's analysis of "The (Missing) Faces of African American Girls with AIDS." In this article, Highberg explores how African American girls with AIDS are portrayed in popular media and considers how gendered and racialized perceptions of AIDS shape what is represented and understood (and misrepresented and misunderstood) about African American girls with AIDS. Following a compelling narrative analysis, he urges us to consider what is hidden as well as what is represented when we consider this critically important topic. The second article in this volume, "Toward a Theory of Feminist Hospitality...