Logo image
Back
The getting of power: Womens' ways. Snapshots of women in tertiary education enacting their empowerment
Conference paper

The getting of power: Womens' ways. Snapshots of women in tertiary education enacting their empowerment

Dyann Ross and Marilyn Palmer
International Women in Leadership Conference Proceedings, pp.149-158
Women in Leadership Project International Conference, 6th (Fremantle, Australia, 19-Nov-1997–21-Nov-1997)
Edith Cowan University
1999
url
https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworks/6776/View
Webpage

Abstract

Social Work creative discourses alliances redefinitions difference support
This paper presents a creative discourse about what is possible for women wanting to build alliances across difference, to tell their stories, and in the telling, to enact their own (and support others') ernpowennent. An example of the range of creative discourses women engage in are presented, whereby women's voices in tertiary education can by heard (by each other) across multiple sites of power, identity and experience. The learning gained strengthens existing alliances and provides bridges to other women. In this way, women gain an appreciation of their leadership and visioning abilities and build the legitimacy of power structures not formally sanctioned by hierarchical organisations. At the very least a concerted, creative resistance is provided to the more oppressive aspects of male power (Wearing, 1996). And possibly, women can substantially redefine power to effect more respectful, diverse and just forms ofhuman organising and interacting. The task of redefining power has to be more than an academic exercise divorced from the complexities of Jived experience in socio-political contexts. To this end creative discourses are any mediums women choose to speak of their visions, power and experiences which (in the telling) challenge sterectypical, dualistic and other rigidifYing ways of thinking and acting.

Details

Metrics

49 Record Views
Logo image