Special Issue Call for Manuscripts: New Understandings of the History of Women and Gender in Higher Education

Special Issue Call for Manuscripts

New Understandings of the History of Women and Gender in Higher Education

Guest Editor: Linda Eisenmann, Wheaton College, Mass.

Manuscript Submission Deadline: December 1, 2021

The history of women’s participation in American higher education began with exclusion (especially for women of color), then developed a tributary of female-only institutions, grudgingly evolved into coeducational acceptance, and shifted by the 1980s into numerical predominance. Yet, as is patently clear, earning the majority of degrees has not meant that women always experienced equity on campus, either in the present or the past.  The same is even more potent for LGBTQ+ students and faculty who, until quite recently, had little voice or public presence on campuses.

In the 21^st century, our conception of gender has expanded, and our campuses work diligently to address issues for all students, setting aside earlier systems and approaches. But knowing how those approaches developed, and what effect they have had on campus constituencies, is an important element to understanding and interpreting current practice.  As historical scholarship on gender has expanded over the last few decades, it seems useful, if not imperative, that higher education practitioners – especially those who work with today’s students – understand some of the developments about the larger field in which they practice.

This special issue of the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education will explore current work on women and gender that reinterprets our historical understanding, along with helping readers see where history-based changes are occurring. Manuscripts should frame our understanding of the history of the academy through a gendered lens; any time period, constituency, unit of analysis, or historical topic is welcome.  We especially invite pieces that critically interrogate gender, including the experiences of trans* and gender nonconforming students, faculty, and/or staff.

Manuscript Submissions

Manuscripts should be a maximum of 25 double-spaced pages, and submitted by December 1, 2021.  Please use APA style and 12-point Times New Roman font.  (Page length includes tables, figures, images, and references.) All manuscripts must be submitted online through https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/naspa_njawhe.  Please indicate that you are submitting to the special issue on history.  For more information, or to discuss your idea in advance, please contact Dr. Linda Eisenmann at eisenmann_linda@wheatoncollege.edu.