The University of Limerick has a strong track record in providing Women’s Studies taught programmes and in Women’s Studies Research.

What Is Women's Studies?

Women's Studies teaching and research at UL takes place across disciplines and departments. Women's Studies is a comparatively new academic subject that focuses on developing knowledge about women and the gender relations that affect the production of knowledge. Class, 'race', sexuality, age, ethnicity, differing abilities and other categories and processes of stratification and difference are at the centre of the study of gender and 'women'. All aspects of social, cultural, political and economic life can be researched from a Women's Studies perspective. 

The Aims of Women's Studies at UL

• To promote an active transdisciplinary research culture via our two identified research groups; post-doctoral and PhD programmes; post-graduate seminar series; reading groups; colloquia, conferences and other events

• To develop Women's Studies teaching via Women's Studies courses and  'mainstreaming' Women's Studies into a wider range of programmes throughout the University

• To build on and expand scholarly links and collaborative research with colleagues at other universities in Ireland and internationally

• To contribute to and support local community research projects and programmes.
   

Women's Studies Research at UL

We have established two Women's Studies Research Groups which reflect the particular strengths of Women's Studies faculty. The group Women and global belonging: migration, multiculturalism and feminist visions of human rights aims to understand the position of diverse women vis-a-vis the global economy and global culture. Projects around this theme explore new and evolving patterns of gendered migration globally and the increasing cultural significance of migration in figuring gender, nation, citizenship and cultural identity. They also consider the implications for different groups of women of emerging definitions and experiences of the 'multicultural nation.' The changing experiences of young women and men in an increasingly globalised Ireland are also being researched in this group.

The Gender, memory and modernity research group is concerned with investigating four main themes: the changing relationships between modernity, gender and memory; life-narratives, memory and gender identity; shifting sites and techniques of memory (e.g. media and confession/testimony); the gendered uses of memory in individual and collective practice.

Women’s Studies faculty at UL have been successful in obtaining research funding from: Atlantic Philanthropies; the Higher Education Authority (PRTLI(1)); HEA North-South programme; European Social Fund; the Ireland Funds; IRCHSS doctoral and post-doctoral awards; the Mid-Western Health Board; the Bernard Van Leer Foundation; Údarás na Gaeltachta and the UL Foundation.

Visiting Scholars

We welcome applications from students and scholars who are interested in visiting Ireland, for either shorter or longer term visits, and who are keen to pursue their research in a supportive feminist academic environment. Research connected with the themes and ongoing projects at UL are particularly welcome. Applicants need, however, to acquire their own funding, and acceptance depends on availability of office space at the time of application. Please do not hesitate to ask us about various possibilities for affiliation with the Centre.