Radical Women:
50 Years of Feminism at Kent

The University of Kent played a pioneering role in the establishment of Women’s Studies as a legitimate and respected discipline in UK higher education in the 1970s, offering the first UK course in this subject. Subsequently, the University has enjoyed an unparalleled reputation for feminist research, primarily, but not exclusively, in the Social Sciences.

Throughout the anniversary year, this project celebrated, showcased and disseminated the achievements of feminist academics at Kent in improving women's rights and well-being through their research, scholarship, pedagogy and activism over the last four decades.

An event titled ‘Feminist action: past achievements and future priorities’, brought together people who have been engaged in feminist action over the past 50 years. It provided an opportunity for reflection on the achievements of feminist scholars as well as a context in which future challenges can be outlined and addressed.

A number of events also took place across the 50th anniversary year, including:

‘Feminist Action at Kent’, a one-day symposium | 21 March 2015

The symposium began by reflecting on violence against women, with particular reference to the Canterbury Women’s Refuge that was founded in 1975 by Kent students and local activists. Subsequent talks discussed the current debates around gender, women’s employment, and the future of feminism.

‘Austerity, gender and household finances’ conference | 18–19 June 2015

This event specifically explored the impact of austerity on women and the vulnerable in society, incorporating themes of debt and credit, financialisation, and parenting.

A public lecture in the Open Lecture series given by a leading figure in feminist activism

‘Fifty years of Feminism’ film season

In 2014, just 12% of main characters in the 100 top grossing U.S. films of all time (and only 30% of speaking characters) were women, and only 7% of the top 250 films were directed by women.

To explore and challenge this, the Gulbenkian Cinema screened a selection of feminist films in the University’s 50th anniversary year, including Thriller (1979), Orlando (1992) and Girl Model (2013). Several of the films were followed by discussions chaired by directors and scholars working on feminist issues.

The Student Prize for Feminist Scholarship (2015)

This competition was open to students and aimed to celebrate innovative student scholarship grounded in feminist theory and practice.

The undergraduate winner was Lois Donnelly, BSc Psychology, for an essay titled ‘“I am a woman, not a traffic jam”: The effect of street harassment, self-objectification and safety anxiety on perceived risk of rape’

The postgraduate winner was Sara Janssen, PhD Film Studies, for her essay ‘Sensate Vision: From Maximum Visibility to Haptic Erotics’

Prizes in each student category included a certificate and prize vouchers worth £50 and £100.