Permission from Wendy Wen.

15 July 2025

by Yi (Wendy) Wen, Higher Education Studies MA and Education Studies BA* alumna

*From the 2024/2025 academic year onwards, this degree has been renamed the Education, Society and Culture BA

From the beginning: Feminism and gender equality

As a Chinese international student, I began my academic journey, majoring in BA Education Studies at University College London (UCL). Before entering the UK environment, I never thought about feminism or gender – which seemed nearly apart from my life. I thought, ‘Feminism is a terrible thing, and everyone considers diversity and inclusion. Can paying too much attention to women and labelling us as a marginalised group really make society equal?’

In China, knowledge about feminism and gender is primarily acquired through social media and the internet, reflecting the digital age and the fourth wave of digital feminism. On Chinese social media, feminists from varying ideologies are usually stigmatised and called ‘fists’ or ‘fist-ism’. In Mandarin, the pronunciation of feminism and fist is the same –‘quán’. Ironically, we all knew it first served as an essential symbol in communist ideologies, and China is still under this type of ideology.

When I was young, I started to explore knowledge of gender and feminism, which can be considered sensitive content that ruins students in the Chinese academic environment. That is the reason why I, and other Chinese people, learn about feminism online. During my undergraduate study, I collaborated with three other Chinese feminists to write a blog designed for all Chinese students to understand the current situation toward female students.

After creating this blog, we four established a feminist WeChat group community called Chestnut. A chestnut is encased in a spiky, thorny burr. This outer shell symbolises the resilience and protective strength that is often necessary when navigating challenging conversations around gender and feminism, especially in contexts where these topics are deemed ‘sensitive.’ It represents our community as a safe and brave space, offering protection and solidarity, allowing us to explore and express ourselves without fear.

(more…)

17 June 2025

By Gayathri Kumar Rajeev Mullath, Education, Gender and International Development MA

On 5 March 2025, Master’s students on the module Feminist Approaches to Knowledge and Pedagogy and Gender, Sexuality and Education were joined by undergraduate students on the module Gender, Sexualities and Feminisms in Everyday Lives for a visit to The Feminist Library in Peckham, South London.

Dr Hanna Retallack and Dr Sara Bragg were joined by a group of students to visit the collection of feminist materials and literature, and for a ‘zine making’ workshop.

I recently came across the Spoon Theory, which is often used to explain the experience of living with chronic illnesses or conditions. The theory uses “spoons” as a metaphor for units of energy. It’s a helpful way to visualise and communicate the limited capacity disabled or chronically ill people have for handling daily tasks, and it highlights the importance of prioritising and conserving energy.

It was on a one-spoon day that The Feminist Library trip had been scheduled. Contrary to my expectations, I had woken up with no energy or tolerance for inconveniences. I decided to not go alone but to meet the team at IOE, grab a sandwich, and travel with them so that I wouldn’t have to worry about navigating alone and could rely on the safety of being in a group.

The Spoon Theory. Credit: Burning Nights CRPS.

I’ve come to realise that there’s something about community that a city like London often lacks. The kind of community where someone notices when you’re crouching or frowning and pops around to check on you, where someone understands when you just need a bit of rest, and where someone gives you a gentle nudge to do the right thing on a tough day. This “someone” isn’t always the same person, it could be anyone within a network of care. But this is something that spaces built on independence and individuality as liberation often miss out on. The West is rooted in ideals of individualism and independence, framing them as freedom, which stands in stark contrast to the values of interconnectedness found in many communities across the globe. Capitalism, in particular, thrives on this hyper-independence, using it to fuel consumerism, sell products, and often prey on people’s insecurities. (more…)

Credit: Hurca!, generated with AI / Adobe.

2 January 2024

By Batool Wajiha Zaidi, Arts and Sciences BASc.

Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges that humanity has ever had to face. Such a complex challenge requires a collective effort across all sectors of society to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change and protect the future of our planet. In particular, universities are uniquely situated to respond to the climate crisis through education and academic research. 

Students are profoundly affected by university policies and have raised concerns as to the current education system’s ability to prepare them for the uncertainty of the future. Yet, their voice and impact is almost non-existent in climate change and sustainability education policy. Students have an insider perspective and are motivated to challenge the existing practices of an institution, as such; with proper engagement, they can make meaningful recommendations for sustainable futures in higher education. 

In order to address the lack of engagement of students in policymaking for sustainability in higher education, we conducted a research project co-led by two undergraduate students to better understand students’ perceptions of climate change and sustainability education in universities and produce a collaborative policy brief.
(more…)