Transformative feminist leadership from inside the university

Abstract

As universities grapple with institutional change that tackles gendered and sexual violence, feminist academic leadership is crucial to effecting that change. We use as a case example the Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) at Michigan State University to explore the opportunities and limitations of feminist administrators leading campus movements challenging sexist, racist and heteronormative cultures at a university in crisis. We aim to contribute to the emerging literature on gendered organisations and feminist leadership to place it into dialogue with the everyday world of leadership and practices of an organisation committed to feminist principles and social justice.