Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Engagement Fellowships Pilot
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: History Faculty
Abstract
I would hope to use the Public Engagement Fellowship to put some of the ideas in my forthcoming book, Sexism: A Global History, before a broader audience, and stimulate informed discussions and debates on some of their implications.
Sexism: A Global History is a 'big history' of the topic, tracing religion, science, political and economic ideas, which both looks back to pre-history and forwards to, hopefully, a sexism-free future. It argues that sexism - treating people differently according to biology - is neither the natural order of things, nor as 'whiggish' commentators assert, largely a problem of the past, now yielding to a more progressive present. Rather sexism is part of a cluster of historically flexible but always discriminatory ideas, closely related to broader views of gender and sexuality, as well as other hierarchies of class, caste and race, and possessing an extraordinary capacity for adaptation and reinvention. The book will trace these varieties of sexism through space and time, explaining why it has taken far more powerful forms in some places and periods than others, thus, I hope, helping us to think about how it might be challenged today. The book will be published by the trade arm of Bloomsbury, who have identified it as one of their top non-fiction publication of 2020/2021. Publication will be accompanied by a major international promotional tour in Britain, the US and the Commonwealth.
I would hope to use the Fellowship to engage four different audiences - media, business, government and the cultural and arts world - with four targeted conferences, bringing together academics and intellectuals in particular sectors for lectures, and panel discussions on how humanities research into sexism can help us understand and challenge sexism in all its contemporary forms. The aim is to improve understanding of sexism and the quality of debate in the media; to show how humanities research in history, philosophy, cultural studies and law can offer different and innovative perspectives on the persistence of gender gaps in employment, political participation, economic and cultural leadership; and to generate a deeper appreciation of the contextual role of culture and history in shaping sexist attitudes and practices in the global South among corporate and political policy-makers and media opinion-formers. The project is also intended to foster on-going dialogue, debate and knowledge exchange, either formally or informally between academics and policy makers in all four fields, with the hope of promoting a more informed environment for research and discussion of sexism and gender discrimination, and ultimately for more innovative policy initiatives promoting diversity, equality, cohesion and positive societal change.
The four conferences will be planned in partnership with leading figures from each sphere who will help develop the necessary institutional links and networks. Each conference will be held at a high-profile venue with an invited as well as elective audience. I hope to attract a significant degree of press and media attention with the inclusion of a few well-known figures from academia and, as appropriate, the worlds of business, politics, the arts, popular culture and sport. The conferences will involve both keynote addresses, mixed panel discussions and audience debate on the themes outlined on the accompanying document. In the panels we will draw on the depth and richness of expertise in British universities, along with some high-profile international invitees.
Sexism: A Global History is a 'big history' of the topic, tracing religion, science, political and economic ideas, which both looks back to pre-history and forwards to, hopefully, a sexism-free future. It argues that sexism - treating people differently according to biology - is neither the natural order of things, nor as 'whiggish' commentators assert, largely a problem of the past, now yielding to a more progressive present. Rather sexism is part of a cluster of historically flexible but always discriminatory ideas, closely related to broader views of gender and sexuality, as well as other hierarchies of class, caste and race, and possessing an extraordinary capacity for adaptation and reinvention. The book will trace these varieties of sexism through space and time, explaining why it has taken far more powerful forms in some places and periods than others, thus, I hope, helping us to think about how it might be challenged today. The book will be published by the trade arm of Bloomsbury, who have identified it as one of their top non-fiction publication of 2020/2021. Publication will be accompanied by a major international promotional tour in Britain, the US and the Commonwealth.
I would hope to use the Fellowship to engage four different audiences - media, business, government and the cultural and arts world - with four targeted conferences, bringing together academics and intellectuals in particular sectors for lectures, and panel discussions on how humanities research into sexism can help us understand and challenge sexism in all its contemporary forms. The aim is to improve understanding of sexism and the quality of debate in the media; to show how humanities research in history, philosophy, cultural studies and law can offer different and innovative perspectives on the persistence of gender gaps in employment, political participation, economic and cultural leadership; and to generate a deeper appreciation of the contextual role of culture and history in shaping sexist attitudes and practices in the global South among corporate and political policy-makers and media opinion-formers. The project is also intended to foster on-going dialogue, debate and knowledge exchange, either formally or informally between academics and policy makers in all four fields, with the hope of promoting a more informed environment for research and discussion of sexism and gender discrimination, and ultimately for more innovative policy initiatives promoting diversity, equality, cohesion and positive societal change.
The four conferences will be planned in partnership with leading figures from each sphere who will help develop the necessary institutional links and networks. Each conference will be held at a high-profile venue with an invited as well as elective audience. I hope to attract a significant degree of press and media attention with the inclusion of a few well-known figures from academia and, as appropriate, the worlds of business, politics, the arts, popular culture and sport. The conferences will involve both keynote addresses, mixed panel discussions and audience debate on the themes outlined on the accompanying document. In the panels we will draw on the depth and richness of expertise in British universities, along with some high-profile international invitees.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Anna-Maria Susheila Misra (Principal Investigator) |
| Title | 'Gender and Asian Modernities, 1830s-1970s'. |
| Description | This was a two-day exhibition held in the Ashmolean's Jameel Study Centre, on the 24th and 25th of June 2024 to coincide with the Symposium 'Global Gender: Pasts, Presents, Futures'. It was curated by Professor Misra and comprised fifteen images drawn from the Ashmolean's Asian print collections. They comprised selections from Kuniyoshi's Stories of Wise Women and Faithful Wives (Japan 1830s-40s), a selection of Indian lithographs depicting various gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon (early twentieth century) and papercuts illustrating the Chinese vision of gender during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Professor Misra wrote the text for an illustrated pamphlet to accompany the display. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | This two-day exhibition has stimulated an interest in a research project by Professor Misra using the Ashmolean's nineteenth and twentieth century print sources in collaboration with the Ashmolean curators of Chinese, Japanese and Indian art. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | 'Global Gender with Dr Ronx'. This is an audio tour available for free on the Smartify platform/app. |
| Description | This audio tour of 13 objects on permanent display in the Ashmolean is specially designed to appeal to the Explorers' and 'Experience Seekers' audience segment identified as a target group by the museum; it particularly includes younger adults from occupations and backgrounds less likely to visit museums. The tour is intended to inform and stimulate debate on the changing nature of gender ideas and identities over a period spanning 25,000 years and representing several different cultures and global regions. In collaboration with the Ashmolean team Professor Misra selected the 13 objects, researched their histories and wrote the text labels. In collaboration with the Ashmolean team labels were edited to make them accessible and inclusive for the target audience. Dr Ronx (a well-known media figure) was the main narrator, and additional interviews were made with non-academics interested in some aspect of the gendered nature of each of the objects to ensure breadth and inclusivity. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | As of January 2025, this tour had over 1000 takers, an above average of whom completed the entire tour. The Ashmolean is currently gathering feedback from the audiences via the Smartify app. |
| URL | https://www.ash |
| Title | Aphrodite Short |
| Description | Animated Short: Animation lasting approximately 20 seconds designed for social media and aimed at young audience as part of the Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East). It used using images from the Ashmolean Museum to illustrate an unusual aspect of this goddesses gender in historical myth. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East) which this animation was designed to promote among young people as social media has (as of January 2025) received over 500 written and drawn responses - many by children. Many of these drawing refer to aspects of the animations and suggest these have sparked interest in global goddesses and gender among the very young. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | Aphrodite: with Dr Anja Ulbrich |
| Description | This is a 10 minute film directed by Adam Hale featuring Dr Anja Ulbrich, AG Levantis Curator of Cypriot Antiquities. Dr Ulbrich discusses recent research on the surprisingly fluid and mixed gender characteristics of the ancient goddess Aphrodite, reflects on her meaning for women in ancient Cyprus and Greek and on her influence western ideas of femininity as a key figure in western art. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | This film, intended to be an educational resource for teachers and school children. has only recently been posted on the project website. We hope to hold a workshop for teachers on how to use it tp promote interest and debate among their students. We will gather feedback in due course. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | Cybele Short |
| Description | Animated Short: Animation lasting approximately 20 seconds designed for social media and aimed at young audience as part of the Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East). It used using images from the Ashmolean Museum to illustrate an unusual aspect of this goddesses gender in historical myth. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East) which this animation was designed to promote among young people as social media has (as of January 2025) received over 500 written and drawn responses - many by children. Many of these drawing refer to aspects of the animations and suggest these have sparked interest in global goddesses and gender among the very young. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | Durga Short |
| Description | Animated Short: Animation lasting approximately 20 seconds designed for social media and aimed at young audience as part of the Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East). It used using images from the Ashmolean Museum to illustrate an unusual aspect of this goddesses and gender in historical myth. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East) which this animation was designed to promote among young people as social media has (as of January 2025) received over 500 written and drawn responses - many by children. Many of these drawing refer to aspects of the animations and suggest these have sparked interest in global goddesses and gender among the very young. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | Durga: with Dr Bihani Sarkar |
| Description | This is a 10 minute film directed by Adam Hale featuring Dr Bihani Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Non-Western Thought, University of Lancaster . Dr Sarkar discusses her recent pathbreaking research on role of the ancient Indian goddess Durga as a symbol of warrior kingship in medieval India.She reflects on the historical context and events in the early modern era when this warrior figure without children came to be reimagined as a key symbol of motherhood in modern India. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | This film, intended to be an educational resource for teachers and school children, has only recently been posted on the project website as a 'Resource'. We hope to hold a workshop for teachers on how to use it tp promote interest and debate among their students. We will gather feedback in due course. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' |
| Description | This exhibition was installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Near East) in June 2024 This is a small display of nine objects relating to the goddesses Aphrodite (Cyprus and Greece), Durga (South Asia), Cybele (Asia Minor, Greece and Rome), and Hariti (South and East Asia). The introductory text and labels explore the strikingly different roles of these goddesses in their own time and contexts, and contrast them with narrower post-19th century understandings of goddesses as mother figures. An accompanying film on a nearby QR code gives audiences to the opportunity to listen to three specialists on ancient and modern goddess cults discuss the changing gender identity of these four goddesses, and also of later ideas of 'matriarchy', in more detail. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | This has generated significant interest from audiences. In mid-January there were c.500 written (or drawn) responses to the display. Many have commented on their surprise at the military and political role of goddesses in the ancient and medieval past. Because of its popularity with audiences the museum has decided to keep the exhibition in place for an additional six months until late 2025, having originally envisaged a 12 month life from June 2024 to May 2025. |
| URL | https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/demon-mother-maker-of-kings-display |
| Title | Exhibition: 'In Their Image' |
| Description | Exhibition: 'In Their Image', an installation in the Ashmolean Learning Space from June 2024 to January 2025. This exhibition consists of c.10 photographic and collaged art works with commentary made the 'Young Creators' as personal responses to the theme of global gender. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Impact on young creatives: The 11 young people were part of a 'New Creatives' strand in the overall Public Engagement project. In feedback they have reported that they strongly agree that the experience as 'insightful', 'educational, 'explorative', 'new', and 'experimental. Understanding of global gender: 75% agreed that participation in the creative project had changed their understanding of the history of global gender. They reported that the creative project had: 'made me feel more connection with my own gender and its history', 'I've learned a lot about the history of gender which I didn't;t have any idea of before', 'I didn't realise how gender was viewed in such a fluid sense throughout different time periods', 'I've learned all about the different goddesses and their role in history', '[they] showed me history and art in a new way that has led me to see gender in a new way'. 75% strongly agreed and 25% agreed that making the exhibit had increased their understanding of the history of gender % reporting having changed their ideas as a result of the working with various aspects of the creative project: Working with photography: 67% Looking at the Museum collections: 50% Engaging with artists 38% Working with Collage 38% Working with Museum Staff 63% 75% said the project had impacted on their daily life: 'in a very positive way, giving me the chance to speak about something that was deeply rooted in me', 'I can interact with museums and use the skills gained through this for future opportunities', 'It's massively improved my confidence in both my art and my social interactions' 88% strongly agreed it had been an opportunity for them to gain new skills and experience 75% strongly agreed that it had enabled them to enhance their CV and employability 50% strongly agreed and 50% agreed that it had enabled them to analyse and discuss historical topics with professionals and peers 88% strongly agreed they were now able to successfully create a museum display in collaboration with others 63% strongly agreed and 25% agreed that they were now considering a career in museums and galleries 50% Strongly agreed and 13% agreed that they would now encourage people they know to volunteer in museums and galleries 75% strongly agreed and 25% agreed that they were interested in volunteering or working more in museums and galleries |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | Film: Goddesses, Gender and the Myth of Matriarchy |
| Description | (Director, Adam Hale). This eleven minute film features Professor Maria Misra (Oxford), Dr Bihana Sarkar (University of Lancaster), and Dr Anya Ulbrich (Ashmolean) discussing the goddesses featured in the exhibition 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings'. The film presents recent research in an accessible form on the way deeper background and context for the complex gender identities of the goddesses Aphrodite, Cybele, Duran and Hariti. It also discusses the idea-cum-myth of 'Matriarchy' (the idea that original civilisations were goddess not god-centric) that arose in the late nineteenth century and it's enormous influence on key aspects of modern politics including colonialism and feminism. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Tis film was shown as part of the three-day symposium: 'Global gender: Pasts, Presents, Futures' and is also available via QR code at the audience pod adjacent to the exhibition 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings'. The combined exhibition/film display in the museum has (as of January 2025) attracted over 500 written and drawn responses from visitors. Many have commented on their surprise at the military and political role of goddesses in the ancient and medieval past. |
| URL | https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/demon-mother-maker-of-kings-display |
| Title | Global Goddesses and the Myth of Matriarchy, with Professor Maria Misra |
| Description | This is a 13 minute film directed by Adam Hale featuring Maria Misra (Professor of Global History, University of Oxford). Professor Misra discusses the rise of the idea of Matriarchy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This was a theory that the earliest civilisations were dominated women and worshipped goddesses rather than Gods. Matriarch was popular among a surprisingly diverse group of thinkers and policy-makers, including imperial archaeologists, socialists and first wave feminists. Though the idea fell from favour after World War I it returned to prominence between the 1950s and 1980s and has been surprisingly influential on some aspects of contemporary feminism and environmentalism. Professor Misra considers the contexts in which such an idea might become popular and its impact on contemporary debates about gender. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | This film intended to be an educational resource for teachers and school children. It has only recently been posted on the project website. We hope to hold a workshop for teachers on how to use it tp promote interest and debate among their students. We will gather feedback in due course. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Title | Hariti Short |
| Description | Animated Short: Animation lasting approximately 20 seconds designed for social media and aimed at young audience as part of the Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East). It used using images from the Ashmolean Museum to illustrate an unusual aspect of this goddesses gender in historical myth. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The Exhibition: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' installed in the Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle- East) which this animation was designed to promote among young people as social media has (as of January 2025) received over 500 written and drawn responses - many by children. Many of these drawing refer to aspects of the animations and suggest these have sparked interest in global goddesses and gender among the very young. |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Description | The AHRC-funded partnership on public engagement with global gender research achieved various objectives: 1. It has stimulated interest in the latest scholarly research on the history and archaeology of global gender among a wider audience and an audience that would not usually engage with this topic. The exhibition exploring the fluid gender roles of ancient and medieval goddesses has prompted over 500 written (and drawn) responses from visitors. The popularity of the exhibition has resulted in its display time being lengthened from 12 months to 18 months. The museum and the PI will continue to collect and analyse the responses. The 'Smartify' tour was designed to engage an audience that is not usually associated with has also achieved this objective with a take-up (by mid-January) of just over 1000 and a very high completion rate 2. The public engagement partnership has deliberately employed new methodologies for engaging audiences which do not normally engage with museums, academic history and archaeology, including short, animated films, collaboration between academic researchers and popular media figures, and the use of non-specialist interviewees to engage diverse audiences with a broader 'take' on academic topics and ideas. Feedback from the Young Curators programme includes 40 % strongly agreeing and 60% agreeing that their understanding of gods and goddesses (in gendered context) has increased as a result of their participation. 3. The three-day symposium brought internationally recognised scholars and artists into dialogue with one another, and also with a wider non-specialist audience. All the scholarly participants felt that these encounters across disciplines, periods, regions and range of expertise have stimulated new ideas: partly academic and partly about dissemination and communication to broader audiences and will result in a published volume. 4. The partnership has fostered connections leading to new networks and collaborations. These include a network of scholars working on aspects of goddess history and archaeology in connection with the forthcoming exhibition on Aphrodite at the Ashmolean. Curated by Dr Anya Ulbrich (a key participant in the Ashmolean partnership) this exhibition will have a rich repertoire of public engagement events in part planned with the help of the network fostered by this grant. The symposium has also fostered a new interdisciplinary research network focusing on the theme of Global Gender: Pasts, Presents, Futures which plan future collaborative research, publications and conferences. |
| Exploitation Route | 1. Designing interdisciplinary event that is able to engage both specialist and non-specialist audiences. 2. As a model for the dissemination of humanities research or the design of programmes to accompany museum exhibitions. 3.As a model for museums to develop methodologies and practices to make their collections more accessible and relevant to non-typical audience segments. 4.As a model for engaging young people not in work or employment in projects to enhance their skills and employability on the museums and galleries sector. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |
| Description | 1. Changing attitudes and ideas of gender and its global history among young participants in the project. A high % of respondents to the questionnaire reported having changed, or significantly increased their knowledge and understanding of global gender. 2.Enhanced skill and employability among young participants in the project. A high % of respondents to the questionnaire reported strong agreement with the statement that they had been enabled to enhance their skills and employability. 3.Increased likelihood of seeking employment in museums and galleries sector by young participants. A high % of respondents to the questionnaire reported an interest in seeking future employment in this sector. 4.Increasedl likelihood of volunteering in the museum and galleries sector. A high % of respondents to the questionnaire reported an interest in volunteering themselves and recommending volunteer work to their peers in the sector. 5.Future collaboration and engagement activities: Dr Anja Ulbrich, , AG Levantis Curator of Cypriot Antiquities, has reported her interest in collaborating with me in designing a suite of public engagement events on Global Goddesses to accompany the exhibition 'Aphrodite' that she is curating at the Ashmolan this summer. 6.Future collaboration for research: participants in the Symposium: Global Gender: Pasts. Presents, Futures plan to maintain this network with a view to holding a future conference and contributing to a published collection. 7.Future research projects: Professor Misra will develop the research she did for the exhibition 'Gender and Asian Modernities, 1830s-1970s' into a publication |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | Oxford History Faculty (Professor Maria Misra) and the Ashmolean Museum (Audiences & Content) AHRC-funded Public Engagement Partnership: Global Gender & The Goddess Project |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Department | Ashmolean Museum |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As the holder of the grant and a scholar of the history of global gender I provided all the intellectual input for the partnership based on my expertise. This included: 1. Briefing the Ashmolean staff involved on the key themes and ideas for the display, film, and audio tour. 2. Collaborating with the Ashmolean in the choice of exhibits for the display and for the audio tour (on the Smartify platform/app). 3. Providing the text for the labels used in the display 4. Developing the basic script for the fifteen-minute film that accompanied the display. 5. Acting as one of three interviewees in the fifteen-minute film. 6. Providing the research and text which formed the basis for the narration of the audio tour stops for thirteen objects. In the Ashmolean 7. Providing a training session for the Young Curators element of the partnership. 8. Collaborating with the Ashmolean in the development of the young curators' individual tour guides. |
| Collaborator Contribution | As this was a Public Engagement project, I worked primarily with members of the Ashmolean's Audiences & Content team: Jane Cockcroft, Head of Digital Content and Interpretation; Lucy Shipp Head of Informal Learning and Public Programmes team; Hannah Manson, Project Manager. 1. Jane Cockroft, along with Victoria Jenner, contributed expertise in identifying target audiences for the display and accompanying film, and also for the audio tour co-designed for the 'Smartify' app. They also worked with me and the relevant Ashmolean curators to develop appropriately-targeted labels for the display and text for the audio tour. 2. The audio tour was presented by a well-known media figure chosen by the Digital Team. The research-based narration for the tour (supplied by me), was then edited by the Digital Team to make it more appropriate to its target audience - 'Explorers' and 'Experience Seekers' (ie a younger audience of less-traditional museum-goers). The Digital Team also researched and interviewed additional non-academic contributors to the audio tour to ensure a broader and more fully inclusive perspectives on the gender themes of the tour. 3. The Digital Team also identified and worked closely with a film maker and four animators to make a 15-minute film to accompany the display, and four short animations for publicity and educational purposes. 4. Lucy Shipp managed the second strand of the Ashmolean's contribution - a programme designed to engage local young people not in work or employment. 5. This project was led by Laure Barthélémy, (recruited as a Creative Projects Producer). Laure is a recent Master's graduate and free-lance Arts Coordinator Laure recruited twenty young people for the two strands of the project: the first, 'Young Curators' worked with eight young people to introduce them to curating and tour design, using the history of global gender as a theme. Another group of 11 'Young Creators' developed a photographic project on the same theme, which was displayed in the museum. Both strands involved the coordination of teaching and training sessions, tours of the museum and practical training to develop either a short tour of gender related objects, or to create photographic artefacts on the same theme. 6. Hannah Manson led on the design of the display and advised on its installation in a specially adapted case in Gallery 19 (the Ancient Middle East). This is accompanied by a specially designed audience engagement pod nearby where visitors can leave comments on the display. 7. Dr Anja Ulbrich, AG Levantis Curator of Cypriot Antiquities, a specialist in ancient history and archaeology provided scholarly advice and guidance for the film and for two of the displays. |
| Impact | 1. Exhibition Display: 'Demon, Mother, Maker of Kings' in Ashmolean's Gallery 19 (the Ancient Near East) until c. December 2025 Disciplines: History (research by Professor Misra and various Ashmolean Curators) and Archaeology (research by Ashmolean curators, especially Dr Anja Ulbrich) 2. Exhibition Display: 'Gender and Asian Modernities, 1830s-1970s' in the Ashmolean's Jameel Study Centre, 24th -25th June 2024 Disciplines: History, History of Asian Art (research by Professor Misra and various Ashmolean Curators) 3. Exhibition Display: 'In Their Image': an installation of photographs created by the 'Young Creators' in the Ashmolean Learning Space from June 2024 to January 2025 Disciplines: History, (materials provided by Professor Maria Misra) Art History and Practice (training sessions provided by Becky Warnock, arts facilitator, supplemented by Ashmolean curatorial and volunteer staff); and Photography (training provided by Katy Barron, photography curator and advisor. 4. Film: Goddesses, Gender and the Myth of Matriarchy (Director, Adam Hale) https://www.ashmolean.org/research/global-gender-and-the-goddess-project Disciplines: History (research by Professor Misra) Archaeology (research by Ashmolean curators, especially Dr Anja Ulbrich) and Oriental Studies (research and participation by Dr Bihani Sarkar, University of Lancaster) 5. Smartify Audio Tour: 'Global Gender with Dr Ronx' https://www.ashmolean.org/smartify#widget-id-4917666 Disciplines: History (research by Professor Misra) Archaeology (research by Ashmolean curators, especially Dr Anja Ulbrich) and Art History (advice and research provided by Ashmolean curators) 6. Tours: Dr Anya Ulbrich led a tour on gender and ancient goddesses on 24th and 25th June 2024. Eight individual tours on the theme of Global Gender designed and led by the 'Young Curators' took place on 24th-25th June Disciplines: History (research by Professor Misra) Archaeology (research by Ashmolean curators, especially Dr Anja Ulbrich) Museum Studies and Curation (Ashmolean staff) |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Three-day Public Symposium 'Global Gender: Pasts, Presents, Futures' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 1. A panel discussion held at the Ashmolean on June 24th, 2024, on Gender and the Distant Past: Well-known researchers in the fields of Ancient near East, Classical Greece, and Medieval Europe and Japan gave short introductions to the latest ideas about the changing patterns and ideas of gender in their regions. This was followed by discussion with the audience 2. A panel discussion held at the Ashmolean on June 24th, 2024, on Gender and the Colonial Past: Well-known researchers in the fields of Indian, African and German colonial history and the literature of Native North Americans gave short introductions to the latest ideas about the changing patterns and ideas of gender in their regions. This was followed by discussion with the audience 3. A streamed online talk held in the O'Reilly Theatre (Keble College) on June 25th, 2025, by Professor Raewyn Connell, reflecting on their writing on gender and on present political and historical debates. This was followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. 4. A panel discussion held at in the O'Reilly Theatre (Keble College) on June 25th, 2025, on Gender and the Present: writers and researchers on aspects of gender, politics and religious identities in contemporary China and Europe gave short introductions to the latest thinking on debate on global anti-gender politics, as well as reflections on the development of contemporary gender identities. This was followed by discussion with the audience. 5. A panel discussion held at the Ashmolean on June 25th, 2025, on Gender Futures. Writers and researchers in the fields of the environment, digital technologies and contemporary feminism discussed contemporary controversies and possible futures. This was followed by discussion with the audience 6. 'In Conversation' sessions with the writers Xiaolu Guo and Margie Orford held in St Edmund Hall on 26th June 2024. Each author discussed their recent work in the context of the changing gender orders in their areas of interest - China and South Africa. This was followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. 7. Screenings of the films 'Joyland' (2022) and 'Wayfaring Stranger' (2024) at the Phoenix Cinema Oxford. The screenings were followed by 'In Conversation' and audience question and answer sessions with their respective directors Saim Sadiq and Andrea Luka Zimmerman. The topics and themes of these talks were fully researched by me, and I selected the panel participants, film makers and novelists with a view to making the latest ideas and research on gender as interesting and accessible to a non-academic audience as possible. There were some members of the national media in the audience, one of whom is particularly well-known and is interested in more research-based gender ideas in connection with a memoir they are writing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://globalgenderhistory.com/demo-home/# |