Applicants of EHU MA Program “Gender Studies” whose Research Paper correlates with one of the four thematic areas of the scholarship can participate in the competition:
- Theory: research that is related to the study of emancipatory practices in the technological sphere, as well as new approaches in gender studies related to the research of cyberspace, the Internet and information technology. Among such theoretical approaches, cyberfeminism, object-oriented ontology, posthumanism and others can be distinguished.
- Sociology: research that is devoted to the analysis of gender imbalance in the field of IT, e-sports, technical sciences with a focus on the research of this problem in Belarus and Eastern Europe. Of particular interest are the sociological analysis of the IT sphere, the study of the processes of creating exclusion mechanisms, the “sticky floor” and the “glass ceiling”, the study of the problem of the digital precariat and solidarity.
- Activism: The pandemic and socio-political turbulence in many countries of Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space has led to the intensification of the so-called “digital activism”, where women play an important role, but their voices are not always heard. In this direction, of interest are studies that study “invisible women’s activism”, how the digital environment changes or, conversely, reproduces the patriarchal system of relations in activism.
- Culture: research that focuses on the analysis of art tools, visual codes, the transformation of language born at the intersection of the technological environment and gender studies. Of particular interest is the analysis of specific cultural and contemporary art practices that are at the intersection of “traditionally female” materials and techniques, connecting them with the digital environment, open-source, and aimed at transforming existing gender and power hierarchies.
Requirements for candidates:
Candidates who apply to the MA program in Gender Studies and whose Master’s Research Paper correlates with one of the four thematic areas of the scholarship are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
The applicants should attach a Motivational letter while filling out an online application form (before February 10) and it should include:
- the topic of the future MA Research Paper, its main idea;
- the relevance of the study and its compliance with one of the 4 stated thematic areas;
- range of research and activist interests of the applicant, achievements and publications (if any);
- explanation how research and study in a MA program will help to increase your impact or contribute to the development of local communities, gender equality, etc.
The size of the Motivational letter should not exceed 1200 words. The language of the motivational essay is Russian or English. Documents are accepted until February 10, 2022.
Purpose of the scholarship:
To stimulate the interest of young researchers in the problem of gender inequality in IT and science in general in Belarus and Eastern Europe, as well as to focus on interdisciplinary approaches, such as cyberfeminism, object-oriented ontology, and others, to form new theoretical optics in the field of gender studies.
The Women in Tech program is an infrastructural educational and research project aimed at supporting women in the IT field, stimulating research at the intersection of technology and feminism, and promoting gender equality in the field of high technologies. The project was launched within the framework of the Center for Gender Studies with the support of the European Union.