ABSTRACT
Women’s Studies is arguably the most revolutionary new field of intellectual inquiry of our current age. In its early form Women’s Studies brought all of women’s experience under the scholarly microscope, subjecting it to the most advanced scientific methods available in the university. Despite public and professional neglect, for centuries there have been histories of women, anthologies of women’s literary writing, statistical and sociological studies of such topics as the working conditions of women and the organization of family life. Created as a comprehensive field, programs in Women’s Studies attract tens of thousands of students worldwide, and these students come from every conceivable discipline. Finally, in some cases Women’s Studies has changed its name and identity over the decades, going from Women’s Studies to Women’s and Gender Studies and sometimes becoming Gender Studies, Feminist Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, or simply Sexuality Studies. A spinoff of de Beauvoir’s question in Women’s Studies has been about “nature” in all its forms.
