Founded in 1984, the Centre for Women's Studies at York (CWS) is among the most well-established bases for feminist and gender-oriented teaching and research, both in the UK and internationally. We adopt a women-centred and interdisciplinary approach to the changing nature of both women's experiences and gender relations. By drawing on a range of disciplines - cultural studies, history, literature, philosophy, politics, sociology, social policy - we explore the differing perspectives each has to offer, as well as the creative tensions between them.
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Watch CWS's Inaugural Annual Lecture with Avtar Brah
Posted on Friday 8 September 2023
We are very pleased to welcome Dr Francesca Lewis to the Centre for Women's Studies (CWS) core staff team.
Posted on Monday 7 August 2023
BEING HERE follows the lives of four working-class women and place they call home – Colombo. It explores the realities of living in a city aspiring for ‘world-class’ status. Asha’s research study examined the urban geographies of homemaking in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Posted on Sunday 25 June 2023
In response to the release of the new Barbie film, CWS student Daisy McManaman writes in The Conversation about the history of Barbie and her complicated feminism.
What our students say
"Make the most of your time at this great centre - the more you put in the more you'll get out of it (and the sky's the limit for that)!" - Lotika (former PhD student)
Read more students' experiences at the CWS.