On Feb. 3, Associate Professor Mari Castañeda (communication) will discuss her recent work in a talk titled “Bearing Witness to Mothers’ Lives in Academia.”
The talk will address the use of testimonial methodology as a tool for generating scholarship about the lived experience of mothers working and learning in an academic context. It will also review some of the central issues affecting academic motherhood, as well as point to some of the institutional policies and practices that can foster a culture of care on campuses.
Castañeda is co-editor of Mothers in Academia, a collection of essays conveying women’s experiences considering and living the reality of motherhood while working in higher education. In addition to her position in the communication department, Castañeda is an affiliated faculty member with the Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA), the Center for Latin American Caribbean and Latino Studies, and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. She is also the director of diversity advancement for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
This lecture is part of CPPA’s spring 2014 Faculty Colloquium series, which consists of informal talks, often about works-in-progress, with presenters providing a significant amount of time for audience discussion and feedback. All talks will be in Thompson 620, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. They are open to the public and brown bag lunches are welcome.