Message-ID: <33961ABE.2469@wigsat.org> Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 21:47:43 -0400 From: Sophia Huyer <mailto:shuyer@wigsat.org> Subject: Int'l Gender, S&T Digest #9 To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
***INTERNATIONAL GENDER, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIGEST ***of the Women in Global Science and Technology Network (WIGSAT)
No. 9, June 1997
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**Sent by email and regular mail to individuals and organisations working in gender, science and technology around the world. **Posted on listservs and electronic conferences **A total reach of over 3000 **Also posted on the WIGSAT World Wide Web site at http://www.wigsat.org/index.html, along with other WIGSAT activities.
Women in Global Science and Technology Network (WIGSAT) 39 Spadina Road, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2S9, CANADA Tel 1 (416) 926-7570, Fax 1 (416) 926-9481 email: mailto:shuyer@ifias.ca http://www.wigsat.org/index.html http://www.ifias.ca/gsd/gsdinfo.html ******************************************************* Welcome to the INTERNATIONAL GENDER, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIGEST.
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******************************************************** UPCOMING MEETINGS
1) FORUM '97: NEW LINKAGES IN CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT Istanbul, Turkey November 16-21, 1997
Forum '97 is a four-day international conference designed to review experiments in conservation and development over the past decade, highlight the most pressing practical problems in this emerging field, and facilitate the creation of new North-South and South-South partnerships for mutual understanding and effective action.
The conference themes, chosen to raise critical and controversial issues in conservation and development are as follows:
Culturally Conflicting Views of Conservation Engaging Communities in Conservation and Development Ethics and Responsibility in Environmental Action Conservation and Development in War and Peace Business as a Partner in Environmental Action Institutional Pathways to Sustainability
These themes will be explored in plenary sessions that lay the groundwork for panel discussions and practical workshops. Possible workshop topics within these thematic areas include Community-based Wildlife Management, Gender and Natural Resource Use, Building South South Linkages, and Communication and Dissemination Strategies in Conservation and Development.
Forum '97 is an open, participatory conference in which representatives of donors, non governmental organizations, government agencies, universities, grassroots action organizations, and community groups will be invited to define new approaches to critical issues in conservation and development. We hope to bring forward diverse voices from the field, including action organizations working at the grassroots, national and local conservation organizations and community groups that are often absent from discussions of global sustainability.
Registration materials and presentation proposal guidelines are currently available in hardcopy or via e-mail. On- line registration is also available at our website: www.cdf.ufl.edu/cdf/. When requesting registration materials via e-mail, please put "Forum '97 Registration Info" in the subject line.
Conservation & Development Forum P.O. Box 115531 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-5531 phone: (352) 392-6548 fax: (352) 392-0085 mailto:cdf@tcd.ufl.edu
2) Announcing Women in Technology International (WITI)'s 3rd annual conference, The Business of Technology, June 4-6, 1997 at the Santa Clara Convention Center
Aimed at women (and men) in all facets and levels of science and technology, the focus of the conference will be professional and technological advancement, with workshops, panels, roundtable discussions, product exhibits and career opportunities. Over 100 WITI mentors will be available at all times to ensure personal contact with high-level women. Highlights of the event will include The Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the CEO Recognition event. Last years’ attendance topped 3000 women and over 100 top companies as sponsors and exhibitors. This year promises to be even better!
Information is available at the award winning WITI Web site http://www.witi.com/Center/Channels/Brochure/ by email at mailto:conference-info@witi.com or by calling 1-800-334-WITI (9484)
3) J U S T W A T C H Symposium, Workshop, Videoprogramme, Internetproject: Representational Politics in the Electronic Media by Women Media Producers from the Global South Shedhalle Zurich, Switzerland September 6th - 12th, 1997
Call for Entry! The global aspect of new technologies is often praised as democratization of communication. Technology critics wonder, however, whether cyberspace does not simply reproduce patriarchal and colonial structures of the global media networks. The project JUST WATCH addresses the question of access to and alternative use of the electronic media to women from Africa, South America and Asia as well as minorities and migrants in Europe who are involved in media production (video, tv, internet).
We will have a close look at the representation of women from the Global South in local and western tv-productions and discuss the current priorities and strategies in cultural articulation and self-representation. These questions will engage us in a discussion around identity politics in the representation and definition of ethnicity and gender. A debate which has been widely neglected in Europe even though media is known to play a crucial role in shaping western imagination and attitudes towards cultural values in other parts of the world. By the same token, these images have a great impact on the public opinion in the European domestic relations to migration, refugees and racism. The use of women as metaphors for nature, submission, victimization, backwardness or exotification still dominates media representation. Rather than simply producing counter narratives, we are interested in ways to reclaim and reconstruct various on-going geo-political histories and multiple identities.
Programme
* Symposium September 6th and 7th Audio-visual presentations by women from independent media, community and video units from Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Topics up for discussion: - conditions of production and forms of distribution, - identity politics in representation (gender/ethnicity), - strategies of empowerment/emanzipation/citizenship, - access and applications of electronic communication technology . Further suggestions are welcome.
*Video programme A video programme on the above issues will be put together. Please send in your video tapes for screening. The exhibition will document the particular local working conditions (camera work, editing room, studio), forms of distribution, access to the public sphere (i.e. outdoor/community screenings) etc. Could you please provide us with a photograph or/and a clip of your own work situation?
* Media Workshop September 8th - 12th A one week workshop on media theory and practice for migrant and minority women in Europe who want to focus on identity politics in Western media and formulate positions in self representation.
*Internet Project JUST WATCH will have its own web site which provides information on the symposium, video programm, workshop and minority media productions in Europe. If you wish to participate, please send us information about your activities and media programs.
*Media File Special attention is given to media productions by transnationals, migrants and ethnic minorities in Europe with an emphasis on women's productions. JUST WATCH initiates a file providing sources and titles to enhance communication between producers + contribute to a wider public access.
Ursula Biemann & Martine Anderfuhren Shedhalle PF 771 CH-8038 Z¸rich Switzerland mailto:uleshedhalle@access.ch mailto:manderfu@worldcom.ch ******************************************************* NETWORKING
1)Duryog Nivaran, South Asia
Duryog Nivaran is a network of individuals and organizations working in South Asia who are committed to promoting the alternative perspective on disasters and vulnerability as a basis for disaster mitigation in the region. The countries in the network include, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat of the network is based at Intermediate Technology Development Group, Sri Lanka.
Gender is one of the priority areas of concern in the work programme of the network. The network had a Workshop on Gender and Disaster in Pakistan in March 1996. A number of case studies were presented addressing different issues in relation to women in disaster situations. The proceedings of this is available free of charge.
A publication with a collection of case studies on "gender and disasters" is planned, and will be out by September 1997. A video on the same theme covering Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal is underway. The completed product will be available in January 1998.
Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu Coordinator mailto:madhavi@itdg.lanka.net
******************************************************* ANNOUNCEMENTS
1)TECHNOLOGY, NATURE AND GENDER, a three-week residential course at Schumacher College, an international centre for ecological studies based in England.
Course dates: SEPTEMBER 7-27, 1997 Taught by: Vandana Shiva and Andrew Kimbrell
Course description: Conventionally, development is seen as involving the introduction of science and technology into "backward" societies. Only people formally trained in Western institutions are considered experts in this field, despite the fact that every society has its own ways of knowing and ways of doing, based on its unique culture and ecology. In this course, Vandana Shiva discusses how the imposition of ecologically and economically inappropriate science and technology can itself become a cause of underdeveloment and poverty rather than the solution. Andrew Kimbrell looks at the historical evolution of technology's role in the organisation of society, the destruction of nature and the stereotyping of gender behaviour. Technology is seen as the central force in creating social and ecological change. Specific topics to be covered include biotechnology, the biodiversity crisis, and the worldwide "enclosure" movement.
Vandana Shiva is an Indian physicist, environmental activist and feminist. Her books include Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development and Monocultures of the Mind. Andrew Kimbrell is an attorney, activist and founder of the International Center for Technology Assessment. He is author of The Human Body Shop and The Masculine Mystique.
Course fee: 1,200 pounds sterling. If you can't afford the full fee, please ask for details of our bursary policy.
Transferable masters level credits are available on this course, for those wishing to be assessed.
For further details of Schumacher College and its courses, please contact: The Administrator, Schumacher College The Old Postern Dartington Totnes Devon TQ9 6EA UK Tel: +44 (0)1803 865934 Fax: +44 (0)1803 866899 Email: <mailto:schumcoll@gn.apc.org
2)INTERNATIONAL MSC IN GENDER, AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT Wageningen Agricultural University is now accepting applicants for the first International Masters Degree Programme in Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development (GARD) to be inaugurated in September 1998. This M.Sc. is the first in the world to focus on gender, rural change processes, the environment and sustainable agricultural development in developed and developing countries, providing students with conceptual and methodological approaches to research, policies, programmes and project formulation and implementation that permit these to become more gender sensitive.
The programme is organized into three blocks. The first block consists of required courses in Gender Studies, Rural Sociology and Economics, where students are exposed to the principle theories, concepts, comparative empirical research, research methods and related debates in Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development.
The second block consists of optional courses which permit students to pursue a specialization. The three possibilities are: * Gender, Environment and Natural Resources Management * Gender, Institutions and Development Interventions, or * An Independent Specialization. In the Independent Specialization, students can create their own area of special concentration, for example in rural marketing, employment, credit, extension, animal production, irrigation, land use, plant protection, etc.
The third block consists of thesis preparation. With the support of special courses, workshops and supervision, students will design and carry out in their area of specialization a field research project usually conducted in the home country, which will culminate in the presentation of a Master's thesis.
A social science background is not required, but students are expected to have a vivid interest in social questions and be committed to the subject matter. Applicants from both developed and developing countries worldwide are welcome. The Programme will prepare students for professional academic or development work as gender and agriculture/rural development specialists with a strong social science emphasis, able to professionally apply a gender perspective in their particular technical or social agriculture/rural development specialization. Graduates of Gender Studies in Agriculture at WAU currently hold positions in international organizations, government institutions, universities, research institutes, consultancy firms, and NGOs.
Wolffensperger, Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development, Wageningen Agricultural University, De Leeuwenborch/Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands, Fax ++31-317-483990, Email mailto:Joan.Wolffensperger@alg.vsl. wau.nl or visit the WAU website at: http://www.wau.nl
******************************************************* JOB POSITIONS/FELLOWSHIPS
1) Behavior-Change Communication Specialist, Africa
The Manoff Group, a firm specializing in behavior-change communication and social marketing in health and nutrition in developing countries, is recruiting a behavior-change communication specialist for work dealing primarily with environmental health, specifically malaria control, in Africa. The person will both manage and provide technical assistance in Africa. Candidates should be willing to travel up to one-third of the time. Candidates should live or be willing to re-locate to the Washington, D.C. area.
Desired Qualifications/Experience
Masters degree in public health, communication, social marketing, or similar field. A total of at least three years' experience in several African countries. Ability to work in English, with French capability highly desirable. Experience working in environmental health projects, particularly with malaria. Community health education experience. Qualitative research experience. Experience in planning and managing behavior-change strategies with multiple components. Please mail or fax resumes to: The Manoff Group, 2001 S Street, NW, Suite 510, Washington, D.C. 20009; fax 202-745-1961; email: mailto:74673.762@compuserve.com
******************************************************* BOOKS, NEWSLETTERS, JOURNALS...
1)A recent issue of the Coastal Resource Center's global newsletter, Intercoast, featured women in development and gender issues in coastal management. Hard copies are available, or find it on the WWW home page at http://brooktrout.gso.uri.edu. One of the goals of Intercoast is providing a forum for information and viewpoints about coastal management worldwide and it received a good response to this particular issue (#28, Fall 1996).
Contact: Chip Young Communications Liaison/Managing Editor, Intercoast Coastal Resources Center University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Narragansett Bay Campus Narragansett, RI 02882 USA Telephone: (401) 874-6630 FAX: (401) 789-4670 E-mail: <mailto:cyoung@gsosun1.gso.uri.edu CRC WWW site: <http://brooktrout.gso.uri.edu
*************************************** WORLD WIDE WEB SITES
1) Feminist Collections: A Quarterly of Women's Studies Resources http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/fcmain.htm
Provided by the Women's Studies Librarian's Office at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The site contains two sections on the Internet that are very useful to women's studies researchers. World Wide Web Reviews (available from the home page or individual issues), is a new feature offering web essays on a variety of topics. To date, three reviews are available, on the subjects of funding sources, breast cancer, and women and computer technology. Computer Talk (also available from the home page or individual issues) is an ongoing column by Linda Shult of the WSLO that lists and briefly describes women's studies-related email lists, electronic journals, and websites. Together, they make a formidable Internet awareness resource in Women's Studies.
2)CIKARD: Center for Indigenous Knowledge for Agriculture and Rural Development is pleased to announce that it has recently made available its database over the World Wide Web (WWW). The URL for this database is:
http://www2.iitap.iastate.edu/HTMLpages/CIKARD/ CIKARD_citation_index.html
Based at Iowa State University, CIKARD is devoted to documenting the knowledge of local peoples to foster sustainable and appropriate economic and social development. For a full description of the mission of CIKARD and its associated national and regional Indigenous Knowledge Resource centers is accessible from its homepage at:
http://www.iitap.iastate.edu/cikard/cikard.html
A catalog of available CIKARD publications is also accessible from this site.
Gerry McKiernan has identified a number of significant Web resources that complement the CIKARD collection for CyberStacks(sm), my virtual science and technology Web library. A number of these have been described, and over the coming weeks, will be classified and fully incorporated within the CyberStacks(sm) scheme. Several of these were recently used to establish the Agriculture(S) class of CyberStacks(sm).
Gerry McKiernan Curator, CyberStacks(sm) Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 mailto:gerrymck@iastate.edu
3) The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has a WEB site at http://www.ilo.org.
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******************************************************* Women in Global Science and Technology Network Gender, Science and Development Programme 39 Spadina Road Toronto, Ontario M5R 2S9 Canada Tel 1-416-926-7570 email: mailto:shuyer@wigsat.org Fax 1-416-926-9481 http://www.wigsat.org/index.html
-- Sophia Huyer Women in Global Science and Technology Network (WIGSAT) International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study (IFIAS) 39 Spadina Road, Toronto, ON M5R 2S9 CANADA mailto:shuyer@wigsat.org = shuyer@ifias.ca www.wigsat.org/index.html