Announcement: Elected as Co-Chair of Feminist and Women's Studies Association, UK

ANNOUNCEMENT

AYONA DATTA elected as co-chair of the

Feminist and Women's Studies Association (FWSA) UK

It is my great pleasure and delight to announce that I was elected to co-chair the FWSA for a three year term. The announcement was made in the FWSA biennial conference in Nottingham today. I will take up term from September 2013 with Kate Sang.Our manifesto on the basis of which votes were cast by FWSA members is below.Our vision for the FWSAAs Co-Chairs, we can make a positive contribution to the aims and goals of the FWSA in extending its work in feminist scholarship and learning, through expansion of FWSA activities internationally, engaging in knowledge transfer and ensuring the financial sustainability of the association.  Our activities external to the FWSA would complement and support our work as Co-Chairs, bringing global links to feminist academics and practitioners. We are also in agreement about sharing our FWSA contributions on a collegial basis based on our respective commitments to teaching and research in our own organizations.First, we will expand the international reach of the FWSA through our research links in Turkey, India, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. In doing so we will jointly host research and learning activities such as conferences, workshops and events in these regions which would further increase the global breadth and reach of the FWSA. We would also welcome the opportunity to work with members to expand the global reach of the FWSA.Second, we will work to secure the financial sustainability of the FWSA. We will actively pursue possibilities of research and consultancy to generate funding and esteem for its work and make it self-funding in the long run. The FWSA has a highly qualified and research active executive committee and membership. These diverse and multidisciplinary strengths can be used to potentially attract research funding to the organization.Third, we will develop existing efforts to expand the role of the FWSA to build upon links with policy makers and lobbying groups both in the UK and internationally. This will allow us to transfer academic knowledge to practitioners as well as influencing policy. We will  also work with the Executive Committee and FWSA members to explore establishing an open access journal to enable free global transfer of academic knowledge.Finally, we aim to promote a more intense debate on current affairs relevant to feminist research and learning through the FWSA. This includes both UK and global events such as recent rape attacks in Delhi, Turkish protests, as well student learning issues in the UK. We will work closely with the FWSA online team to disseminate the work of the FWSA through a range of social media.Overall we look forward to an exciting period of co-chairing one of the most dynamic associations on feminist research and learning in the UK. We believe that our vision for the FWSA will not only bring further benefits to members, but also extend our influence internationally and affect policy level decision-making for men and women.