The new Gender Studies Reading group was started by English professors Holbrook and Thorn in the wake of what Prof. Holbrook described as an “escalation” of gender issues in the country over the last several months. Holbrook stated that she wasn’t sure how much Saint Anselm students paid attention to contemporary legislation surrounding gender and LGBTQ+ issues particularly, so she posed the idea of starting a  “consciousness-raising group” at Saint Anselm. 

The group meets biweekly on Wednesdays from 5-6pm in Bradley House lounge, and the general goal of the group is to read and discuss articles and short feminist theoretical pieces with participants. The initial email about the project stated, “Our hope is mutual support and enrichment, puzzling together in a friendly group over topics including reproductive rights, sports equality and representation, masculine identity, sexual consent, queer identity, and intersectional feminism.”

Holbrook asked a few different faculty members, who all agreed that such a group would be beneficial to the campus community. She then wondered how to pose the idea in a way that avoided raising controversy, given the politically and socially charged nature of many feminist topics. 

Prof. Thorn, the coordinator of gender studies minor, suggested forming a gender studies reading group affixed to the interdisciplinary gender studies minor. In line with the goals of the reading group, the gender studies minor aims to make a selection of courses for core requirements speak, in different ways, to a student’s interest in gender issues. 

Both Prof. Thorn and Prof. Holbrook stressed the fact that the reading group is not a club or a class, but, as described by Thorn, an “informal, non-classroom-mode discussion space where students, staff, and faculty can reflect together on their own experiences in relation to topics of interest relating to gender.”

Prof. Thorn stated, “[Prof. Holbrook] and I often reflect together on the ways that our classes help us understand and think about a younger generation’s experiences and the quite various ways that gender matters to them, in their own experiences and in the ways that they understand the world. Prof. Holbrook was inspired by the practice of consciousness-raising groups in the 1960s and 1970s (a time before we were ourselves young women processing the worlds around us) with the idea of this informal discussion group.”

Each session is led by faculty volunteers for an hour every other Wednesday of informal discussion, with the aim of helping participants consider, “How do you understand your life now in relation to these topics?” Holbrook said, “we’re not trying to sway people to believe one way or another; we’re trying to educate them about current events in our country relevant to gender.”  

The group’s third meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct. 5, led by Prof. Thorn and focused on the ways that Instagram and social media are shaping understandings of gender. Upcoming topics of discussion include “Banning Books and Queer Erasure,” led by Prof. Christian Gregory (Education), gender and sexuality in the art world, led by Prof. Shea (Fine Arts), and gender and the 2022 midterm elections, led by Prof. Lucas (Politics). The final meeting of the semester will be led by Erik Cleven (Politics): “How to have difficult but constructive conversations about gender and sexuality.”    

As observed by Prof. Holbrook, “Gender traditions that feel oppressive work both ways,” therefore inviting both men and women faculty members to lead discussions was important. Holbrook emphasized that the focus of the reading group remains more on gender discussion than feminist discussion. 

Prof. Holbrook stressed to future participants of the reading group that no prep is necessary to participate in the group, and in fact, the readings are optional. She said, “Readings are there as a catalyst for the start of a conversation, which frankly can then go any direction it wants to go.” Students, faculty, and staff are all welcomed to the biweekly conversations, and anyone who wants to join the email list should contact Prof. Thorn. 

The goal of the group is to create a welcoming environment for participants to discuss contemporary gender issues and their relevance to everyone’s lives, and as Prof. Thorn said, “Our hope is that coming together and sharing in a safe space will let us all be stronger together than we can be apart.”

Profs Thorn (left) and Holbrook (right) hold informal “consciousness-raising” discussions of relevant gender issues.