Women’s History Month Interview: Dr. Vanessa Corredera

I talked with Dr. Vanessa Corredera about the importance of Women’s History Month. In our conversation, she discusses her own perception and insights regarding feminism and its relation to education. Read on to learn about what feminism can look like for anyone and everyone, and gain ways of integrating feminism into our daily lives and practices. 

Tell us about yourself! (background, hobbies, interests, etc.)

I am an Associate Professor in and Chair of the Department of English at Andrews University. I’m of Cuban descent and grew up in Florida, but have called the Midwest home for over a decade. I’ve been married for 16 years this summer, and I have two children, Levi (almost 10) and Jasmine (almost 2.5). They take up most of my time right now, so my hobbies are slim at this stage in my life, but I do love hiking, reading, cooking/baking, pop culture, fashion, photography, and music when time allows. 

How do you perceive the significance of Women's History Month, and why do you think it is important for individuals, especially students, to acknowledge and celebrate it?

At its core, Women’s History Month is about spotlighting the contributions of a group of people that has been sidelined, at least historically. As anyone who has taken a history class knows, you can’t cover everything. What’s typically stressed, then, are the contributions men have made to history as leaders of nations, military leaders, etc. Those are roles from which women have long been (and in some places continue to be) excluded. As such, women’s contributions to history are the pieces that do not get covered because they seem less obvious or take extra effort. This month is simply about taking that extra effort in order to look at history from a different, more inclusive perspective. 

As someone who stresses the contributions of women in her courses, what role do you believe education plays in fostering a better understanding of feminism and women's history among students?

A lot of people, even now, have a misconception of feminism. They assume it’s about women being superior to men or about radical separation between the sexes. By and large, that just is not the case in this day and age. Thus, I think education is about fostering a baseline of knowledge so that people are working from shared terminology and shared historical conceptualizations–in other words, a shared understanding. I can’t tell you how many people have questioned the concept of feminism and my embrace of it only for me to dialogue with them about what feminism really is. Then they say: oh, I guess I would say I’m a feminist too! That dialogue? That’s education, the process of growth and learning that leads to a more refined understanding. I therefore believe education, both formal and informal, is vital to fostering that understanding. Without it, how will people learn and grow? How will they come to some shared understanding? Truly, education can help people understand that, as bell hooks argues, feminism is for everyone. 

Can you share some insights into the ways students can actively learn more about feminism and women's history, both inside and outside the classroom?

In some ways, the answer to this question is basic: digest more knowledge. Read more. Watch more. Learn more. How do you learn more, then? You put in the work! The challenge here is really, what do you read, watch, listen to? We talk about learning more about feminism, but the term feminisms might be more accurate. Women are not a monolith. Feminists don’t all share the same beliefs. Add to that the fact that misinformation about both feminism and women’s history exists, and learning accurate information can be a challenge. I urge anyone who wants to learn more to think carefully about their sources, meaning about what they are reading and listening to. Get recommendations from people whose perspectives you trust and admire. The question is whether a source is biased or not. Think about whether that source offers nuance in its argumentation. We as humans tend to be self-selecting, drawn toward information that supports what we already think and believe. To learn more about anything–not just feminism and women’s history–students benefit from being open to the process of learning itself, which means being exposed to new voices and ideas. 

Reflecting on your own experiences, how were you first introduced to feminism, and what aspects of it resonated with you? Were there specific events or influences that shaped your perspective?

If I’m honest, I probably first heard about feminism in a negative light–from my maternal grandmother, who brought it up in a discussion of bra-burning. I learned about real feminism–the idea that one’s gender and/or sex does make one inherently inferior or superior–through my college and Ph.D. coursework. I know some people see feminism as antithetical to Christianity and/or Adventism, but for me, it made perfect sense with my Christian beliefs. The Bible says I am beautifully and wonderfully made and makes it clear that I have value because of God’s love for me. Feminism suggests the same–that I do not lack value simply because I am a woman. Moreover, I have always been someone who likes to think beyond the surface, so part of what I appreciate about feminism is the invitation to question what society offers as inherent and obvious about gender and, therefore, to think about how the reality may not be so obvious. Put differently, it may not be inherent but rather something society has constructed. Let’s take two really obvious examples. Why is blue masculine and pink feminine? Is a binary inherent in those colors? Or, if we say that women are made to be domestic–to cook and clean and care for the household–then why is it that for decades, the most celebrated chefs in the world have been men? I’m drawn to feminism because it asks us to ponder such questions and really grapple with answers instead of taking those answers for granted. 

As an advocate for feminism, how do you personally apply feminist principles in your own life? Are there specific ways you contribute to advancing gender equality and women's rights?

I really can’t do justice to this question! Feminism is suffused in everything I do, from the ways I speak to what I teach to the ways I approach my professional relationships to my investment in racial justice to how I try to shape my personal life. I say that because for me, feminism is a piece of my overall ethic, which is to strive toward social justice, equity, and inclusion (broadly defined) as much as I can. That said, I’ll try and address a few highlights. I try very intentionally to think about being expansive and inclusive across my domains of influence. For instance, even though the literary canon has long been dominated by men, I make sure to include female authors, and especially women of color, on my syllabi. In other words, I not only try to be a feminist, but I attempt to be one who thinks about issues of class, race, religion, etc. alongside issues of gender (this is called being intersectional). In the classroom, for instance, this would mean that in a unit on medieval literature, I add contributions of someone like Julian of Norwich sit alongside a more traditional author like Geoffrey Chaucer, or, when teaching WWI poetry, alongside all the male soldiers whose beautiful and moving poetry I teach, I also include poems from Sarojini Naidu, an Indian female poet. As a mother, it means I work to parent my children in all of their individuality. If my son is interested in something often gendered as feminine, let’s say baking (he has been but isn’t at the moment), I embrace that and encourage him. If my daughter is loud and boisterous, within reason, I don’t force her to be less of herself because we frequently expect girls to be prim and proper. I also try to be open about these things so that young men and women can see how a society that does not advocate for equality harms everyone.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in becoming more actively involved in promoting gender equality and understanding women's history beyond academic settings?

Just do it! I think being actively involved in promoting gender equality can look like volunteering, but it can also be as simple as thinking about the gender dynamics of the language you use or meditating on the gender biases you might carry (even inadvertently). There is no one way to advance gender equity. That said, I do recommend that students do so in ways that work within their ethics. For many, though not all, Andrews University students, that will be a Christian ethical framework. I’m not here to judge what that looks like for each person, but I am always happy to dialogue about it with students and colleagues who may want to do so. 

Looking ahead, what changes or advancements would you like to see in the way society approaches and acknowledges women's history, and how can individuals contribute to making these changes? 

This is a great question, but if I am entirely honest, at the moment, I’m not as concerned about women’s history. I’m more focused on women and the present/future. There are SO many pressing issues women face: problems with accessing proper healthcare, lack of proper support for childcare, pay differentials, and more. Those are the topics I’m concerned about for myself, my students, and my children. Can history help us understand why we are where we are? Certainly! But more than in the past, I want and hope we will tackle some of these issues now. How can individuals contribute? Educate yourself, get involved, and try to effect change, whether through volunteering, educating others, voting, the list goes on and on.