The Department of Women’s Studies (Chair: Lee Euna) held an event entitled “Ewha Women’s Studies Continue” at the Ewha Campus Complex (ECC) on February 18 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its founding. The event, which was hosted by the department and Women’s Studies Alumnae Association and sponsored by the Korean Women’s Institute and the Asian Center for Women’s Studies at Ewha, was attended by over 130 guests including former and current professors, graduates, and students of the Department of Women’s Studies.
After offering women’s studies as an undergraduate general elective (GE) subject for the first time in Korea in 1977, Ewha established Asia’s first women’s studies master’s course at its graduate school in 1982. The Department of Women’s Studies, which has been driving needed changes such as the academic development of women’s studies and improvement of women’s rights and interests by producing 350 talented graduates with a master’s degree and 52 with a doctorate to date, prepared the event as an opportunity to look back over the past 40 years and explore the future of Korean women’s studies.
The first part of the event was an online academic conference featuring presentations on “Status and Cases of Research on Women’s Studies in Korea and Overseas.” Six scholars from Ewha’s Department of Women’s Studies shared case studies of women’s studies in Korea and other countries, including the U.S., China, and Australia, and the status of research in women’s studies regarding recent issues, such as digital platforms. Participants in the Zoom event included students from Ewha Women’s Studies.
The second part of the event was opened at Lee Sam-bong Hall in the ECC building with a congratulatory address by President Eun Mee Kim and a keynote speech by Professor Eun-Shil Kim. Subsequently, a panel presentation on the theme “The Practice of Feminism and the Future of Women’s Studies Education” was conducted for sharing the experiences and vision of Women’s Studies graduates working in a wide range of fields. Next, a Q & A session was held to promote awareness of women’s studies and seek a direction for the practice of feminism that Korean society requires today.
The final component entitled “Ewha Women’s Studies, All Its Days and All Its Moments” was designed as a space for encounters and communication among Women’s Studies alumnae. The alumnae who gathered here had time to ponder the past and present of Ewha Women’s Studies and delivered a scholarship for Ewha students raised by the alumnae association. It was a moment to reconfirm the 40-year history and renew networks.
