Hub members met for a second round of “Impulse Talks” in a virtual discussion held the morning of March 13, 2023.
Unlike the previous workshop which incorporated remote and in-person participation, this entirely virtual session allowed participants from as far as South Africa, Thailand, and Japan to engage in a discussion on global gender and care issues.
Following roundtable introductions from new and returning participants, attendees heard brief Impulse Talks from Hub members Mary Zhang, Agata Ignaciuk, and Susanne Choi. Despite the ‘rapid’ element of these talks, presenters successfully covered a wide array of topics— outlined below— alongside descriptions of past research and current projects.
Mary Zhang (Departmental Lecturer, Oxford School of Global and Area Studies)
Mary’s talk explored care ethics and gender inequality through the lens of social exclusion. By highlighting how many contemporary care crises result from women’s barriers to full economic, political, and social participation, Mary emphasized the importance of centring “social exclusion” in gender inequality analysis. She also bridged these ideas with explanations of prior research, including a UKRI-funded project exploring COVID-19's impacts on women and girls in Africa and a past study investigating gender differences in spatial working patterns.
Agata Ignaciuk (Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomical Pathology and History of Science - University of Granada)
As a social historian of reproductive health, Agata discussed the background, goals, and expectations of her current research project, "Legal Abortion in Spain: Science, Healthcare, and Social Movements in the 1980s-1990s." Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, this project— abbreviated as ABLE (Aborto No Punible en España)— investigates the implementation of Spain’s 1985 abortion decriminalization law and how it has affected abortion’s role in Spanish science, healthcare, and social movements.
Susanne Choi (Professor, Department of Sociology – the Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Susanne presented on the relationship between familial care and masculinity in Asia, outlining previous related work before discussing her current project proposal. Building on past research about migrant men’s ideas of family roles and masculinity— findings covered in her book, Masculine Compromise: Migration, Family, and Gender in China— Susanne’s current project will explore variations in men's care practices and care ethics across different Asian societies.
The second half of the workshop was reserved for “rapid pitches,” allowing members to share preliminary research ideas while receiving feedback and suggestions from other participants. While three members— Nicolette Makovicky, Ekaterina ‘Katya’ Hertog, and Rachel Murphy— officially ‘pitched’ to the group, the interactive nature of this activity quickly resulted in several members sharing information on related ideas and collaboration opportunities. Later, Research Development Officer Francesca Tucci closed the meeting by discussing upcoming “virtual cafes”- brief collaborative sessions allowing Hub members to solicit project feedback from those with related interests and/or professional backgrounds.
A big thank you to our participants and presenters for their contributions to another successful workshop! This session especially reflected the diversity of expertise across the Hub, and we are excited for the wonderful perspectives our members will bring to Trinity term events.
