Join our study!

Identity and Diversity in the Experiences of Contemporary Feminist Activists in Canada

If you are a feminist activist, we’re interested in learning how issues of identity and diversity affect your experiences of activism and feminism.

We are Women’s Studies students at the University of Guelph and we want to make a series of audio documentaries (for the radio and internet) to share what we learn with other feminists and the broader community. 

We’d like to interview you as part of a study on identity and diversity in feminist activism and possibly include excerpts of your interview in our documentaries. 

If you would like to share your experiences by taking part in this study, or have any questions, please contact the course instructor, Andrew Robinson, at arobin07@uoguelph.ca or 519 803 7704.  We will be accepting volunteers between January 1^st and January 31^st 2013. 

In your email, or when you call, we ask that you please provide the following information:

·       Your name

·       Gender identity and preferred pronouns

·       Your age

·       How long you have been involved as an activist

·       The kind of activist work you do/the organization or group you work for

·       Your contact information

(The instructor will use this information to assign participants to students.  You will be given a choice whether or not any of this information will be associated with your interview.)

Interviews will take place between Monday, February 18^th and Friday, March 15^th.  At least 24 hours before your scheduled interview, your interviewer will send you a copy of the questions they have prepared and confirm your appointment for the interview. 

At your scheduled interview you be asked to give signed or oral consent for your participation, permission to record the interview, to share the recording with other members of the class/research group, and to use the recording as part of an audio documentary, which will be distributed via radio and internet.  Your interview should last about one hour.

Your viewpoint and experience are important to us – but it is more important to us that we do not place you at risk.  We will ask you questions about your identity (gender, race, sexuality, etc.) and how that influences your activist work and your experience as an activist and as a feminist.  If you think these topics might be triggering for you or you will be uncomfortable responding to these kinds of questions, then it is probably best if you don’t volunteer. 

Also, we plan to use excerpts from these interviews in an audio documentary that will be made widely available through radio and the internet. If you think discussing these issues will place you in danger or risk creating difficulties in your organization or community, then it might be best if you don’t volunteer.

Although we will be very grateful to any and all of you who choose to participate, we can’t afford to pay you for your time.  Our thanks will have to be enough.

Much thanks,

Andrew Robinson, Instructor

University of Guelph

arobin07@uoguelph.ca 

519 803-7704