Why do women's studies? a cross england profile

Abstract

In this article we report on one part of an empirical project which was concerned with exploring the experience and views of Women's Studies. Data were collected from Women's Studies students and non-Women's Studies students, although here we are concerned particularly with the experience of Women's Studies students from four English universities. We begin by introducing our motivations and methods and our respondent group. In the following two sections we present our data in terms of what Women's Studies students hear about Women's Studies from others and Women's Studies' view of itself. Following this, in our discussion section we consider issues of ambivalence, backlash and marketing in relation to our data and to broader debates concerned with the status and experience of Women's Studies. Here we also consider our original question: “Why do Women's Studies?” Finally, we briefly reflect back on our data and on Women's Studies' history and consider the future.