Chris Bobel Discusses Menstruation with The Washington Post
CSSD working group Menstrual Health fellow addresses the flaws in current menstrual health programs in a recent article.
Chris Bobel, Associate Professor of Women and Gender studies at University of Massachusetts Boston and fellow in the CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, talked with The Washington Post about what more needs to be done to improve menstrual health programs. The conversation centered around the information in her new book, The Managed Body: Developing Girls & Menstrual Health in the Global South.
She addresses the need to look beyond menstrual products as the sole approach to menstrual health education as we expand the discussion surrounding periods to include topics such as ways to combat stigma and necessary cultural shifts.
The full article can be read here.
Join the Menstrual Health working group in welcoming Chris Bobel for a book talk on her recently released book The Managed Body: Developing Girls & Menstrual Health in the Global South.
Menstrual Health Working Group Fellow Debunks Menstruation Myths in NPR
Chris Bobel spoke with NPR about her recent book The Managed Body: Developing Girls & Menstrual Health in the Global South.
Chris Bobel, Associate Professor of Women and Gender studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and fellow in the CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, recently spoke with NPR about her new book, The Managed Body, as well as common myths surrounding menstruation.
In the article she discusses the stigma and negativity related to periods in low and middle income countries as well as how well-meaning activists are misguided by misconceptions about menstrual health.
CSSD project director shares thoughts on "Period. End of Sentence." winning an Oscar
Menstrual Health and Gender Justice project director Inga Winkler writes about the significance of Period. End of Sentence. Oscar win.
We are thrilled that Period. End of Sentence. won an Oscar at last night's Academy Awards. Here are some thoughts from the Director of our CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice:
Is there a better sign of periods finally going mainstream than a documentary about menstruation winning at the Oscars?
”Period. End of Sentence.” documents the efforts of Sneha and other women in Kathikehra in India to produce pads for their village, to improve menstrual health, and to enable women and girls to “rise and fly” as they put it.
The solutions to menstrual health certainly do not lie in pads alone. Menstruation is about so much more than blood. At the root of all challenges related to menstruation lies the stigma that surrounds it, and to change that we need more than pads to bleed on. The film shows how embarrassed girls and boys are when they are asked to speak about periods – and having a pad to hide the fact that you’re menstruating won’t change that.
Yet, the women and girls in Kathikhera show how pads can be an entry point to start a broader conversation about menstruation in Kathikehra, in Delhi, and now at the Oscars. Menstrual stigma certainly not only exists in India, and we need to have the very same conversation in the United States. We should use the current menstrual momentum to start working towards a society where menstruating women are not dismissed as ‘too emotional’ and unfit for decision-making, where health care providers take menstruators' symptoms serious and ensure a quick diagnosis for menstrual disorders, and where adolescents can see menstruation as an opportunity to engage with their body rather than something to be embarrassed about.
The women in Kathikhera find that the world is moving forward because of women, and indeed they are Women Creating Change who set an example for all of us.
-Inga Winkler, Director of CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice
Menstrual Health and Gender Justice faculty fellow interviewed by public health podcast
Chris Bobel discusses public health field and the increasing attention on menstruation in the latest episode of Case Confirmed
Menstrual Health and Gender Justice working group faculty fellow Chris Bobel talks about the public health field and the increasing attention on menstruation in the latest episode of Case Confirmed, a monthly public health podcast series.
In the episode, “Public Health Has Its Period,” Bobel explores the connections between menstrual taboo, public health campaigns, capitalism, and embodiment.
Click here to listen to the episode.
Chris Bobel is Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston where she teaches courses on Gender & the Body, Feminist Theory, Feminist Research Methods, Women in US Social Movements and Feminist Activism.
Case Confirmed is a monthly public health podcast series that features interviews with top public health experts from around the world.
Introducing Inga Winkler, Director of Menstrual Health Working Group
Inga Winkler, Lecturer at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Human Rights Program at Columbia University, was featured on the recently launched blog periodsatcolumbia.com.
Inga Winkler, Lecturer at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Human Rights Program at Columbia University, was interviewed for the blog periodsatcolumbia.com, which was recently launched to highlight the achievements of Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, one of the newest Center for the Study of Social Difference working groups
In the interview, Dr. Winkler discusses how the Menstrual Health and Gender Justice working group is bringing an interdisciplinary perspective to the study of menstrual health, as well as the long term goals of the working group. She said part of their work involves broadening the discussion to include societal norms and stereotypes surrounding menstruation. You can read the full blog post here.
Menstrual Health and Gender Justice working group launches new blog, Periodsatcolumbia.com
The Center for the Study of Social Difference (CSSD) working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice launches a new blog.
CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice launches a new blog.
The site will feature news, events, research, publications, and reflections by working group members and others in the field of menstrual health and gender justice.
The Menstrual Health and Gender Justice working group seeks to further the nascent field of menstrual studies. The working group puts particular emphasis on critically evaluating the current state of research, advocacy and programming, with interest in examining whose voices are being represented in the field, which actors shape the dominant narrative, whose voices are marginalized, what the gaps are, and how interdisciplinary collaboration might help remedy some of these gaps.
Click here to access the blog.
Inga Winkler Speaks about Menstrual Health with Devex
Inga Winkler, director of the working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, speaks about improving menstrual health management and research.
Inga Winkler, lecturer in political science at Columbia University and project director of the Center for the Study of Social Difference working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, spoke with Devex about menstrual health management and research. She stated that often the development sector focuses on quick fixes without addressing broader social issues related to menstruation.
Winkler and other individuals interviewed for the article call for a broader recognition of menstrual health challenges and more detailed research. The full article can be read here.
LIVESTREAM: MENSTRUATION IS HAVING ITS MOMENT – HOW CAN SCHOLARS ENGAGE?
New CSSD Working Group, Menstrual Health & Gender Justice holds launch panel September 20, 2018 .
The first event from the new CSSD Working Group on Menstrual Health and Gender Justice brought together experts on menstrual health – established and emerging scholars as well as practitioners. While research on menstruation is not new, the current momentum creates new opportunities.
The event was facilitated by CSSD Menstrual Health & Gender Justice Working Group Director, Inga Winkler. Speakers included Nancy Reame of Columbia University Medical Center; Chris Bobel, Associate Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston; Norma Swenson, Founder of Our Bodies, Ourselves; Trisha Maharaj, Graduate Student in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University; Sylvia Wong of the United Nations Population Fund.
To watch the livestream video of the event, click here.
For more information about the event, click here.
Menstrual Health and Gender Justice Working Group Launches with Expert Panel
The Center for the Study of Social Difference and the Institute for the Study of Human Rights sponsored the launch of a new CSSD working group: Menstrual Health and Gender Justice.
On September 20, 2018, the Center for the Study Social Difference and the Institute for the Study of Human Rights sponsored the launch of a new CSSD working group: Menstrual Health and Gender Justice.
Inga Winkler, the director of the new working group, led five panelists and experts in the field in discussing the methods, opportunities, and risks involved in generating sustainable, evidence-based outcomes and in challenging common misconceptions of menstruation.
Panelists provided insights into how the working group can address and engage with the recent surge in public interest surrounding menstruation in their research.
Click here to read more.
Professor Inga Winkler Speaks at UN Event on Menstrual Health
Menstrual Health and Gender Justice working group director Inga Winkler speaks on individual experiences with menstruation around the globe.
Inga Winkler, director of the CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, spoke at a UN panel discussion hosted by Simavi and WSSCC on July 11th. In her talk Dr. Winkler addressed the many ways people are affected by menstruation as well as how menstruation impacts sustainable development goals.
During the panel she stressed the importance of including women and girls of diverse backgrounds in the conversation in order to truly understand how culture and religion affect menstrual practices. A full recap of the talk can be read here.
Inga Winkler to speak at UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
Director of CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice to discuss opportunities to advocate for menstrual health with panelists from Kenya and Bangladesh.
Dr. Inga Winkler, Director of newly-launched CSSD working group Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, will speak on a panel titled "Putting Menstrual Health on the 2030 Agenda" at a side event of the 2018 United Nations' High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
This panel discussion, with Irene Gai (Programme Coordinator, Kenya Water for Health) and Mahbuba Kumkum (Programme Manager Ritu at Simavi, Bangladesh) will take place on July 11, 2018 at 10am at the Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza, 1 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, and will be moderated by Hilda Alberda (Director PMEL, Menstrual Health Expert at Simavi, The Netherlands).
A live stream of the event will be available here.
New working groups at CSSD launching AY2018-19
CSSD launches six new projects for the 2018-19 academic year. The projects will address gender, race, sexuality, and other forms of inequality to foster ethical and progressive social change.
CSSD launches six new projects for the 2018-19 academic year. The projects will address gender, race, sexuality, and other forms of inequality to foster ethical and progressive social change.
Racial Capitalism: This working group theorizes the connections between exploitation and expropriation in interlinked political geographies. The Racial Capitalism working group will build on and also expand already existing efforts of the Barnard New Directions in American Studies (NDAS) initiative.
Project Directors: Jordan T. Camp, Christina Heatherton, and Manu Vimalassery
On The Frontlines: Nursing Leadership in Pandemics: The working group On the Frontlines: Nursing Leadership in Pandemics seeks to understand the role of nurses as change agents in the prevention, detection and response to pandemic infectious disease outbreaks.
Project Directors: Jennifer Dohrn, Wilmot James, Steve Nicholas, Victoria Rosner
Geographies of Injustice: Gender and the City: Geographies of Injustice is a working group of interdisciplinary scholars who are interested in asking how spatial politics intersects with inequality and social difference (race, caste, and ethnicity).
Project Directors: Anupama Rao, Ana Paulina Lee
Menstrual Health and Gender Justice: The Menstrual Health and Gender Justice working group seeks to further the nascent field of menstrual studies. This group puts particular emphasis on critically evaluating the current state of research and how interdisciplinary collaboration might help remedy some of these gaps.
Project Director: Inga Winkler
Pedagogies of Dignity: Pedagogies of Dignity is an interdisciplinary initiative that brings together formerly incarcerated people, activists, faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Project Director: Christia Mercer
Queer Theory: Here, Now, and Everywhere: Queer Theory: Here, There, and Everywhere is a CSSD working group to discuss, debate and investigate the politics of sexuality and gender in a global frame.
Project Director: Jack Halberstam
CSSD project director Inga Winkler receives grant to support her work on menstrual health
Professor Inga Winkler, co-director of the new CSSD project, Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, receives grant to support her work on menstrual health.
Professor Inga Winkler, co-director of the new CSSD project, Menstrual Health and Gender Justice, receives a grant to support her work on menstrual health.
The grant from the UN Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council will support research and advocacy on menstrual health, including the development of a handbook on Critical Menstrual Studies, which Professor Winkler is co-editing. The handbook seeks to compile state of the art research in the burgeoning field of menstrual health and to inform and shape rapidly evolving developments in policy and practice, as well as elevate ongoing national policy developments in countries across the globe to the level of the UN through various advocacy initiatives.
The last several years have brought a tremendous diversity of menstrual positive expressions—from the artistic to the practical, the serious to the playful, the provocative to the educational, and the local to the global.
Speaking on the upsurge in interests on menstrual health, Professor Winkler explains: “I see a need – and indeed a responsibility – to engage and ask critical questions."