The Inheritance of Activism

Does Social Capital Shape Women's Lives?

in Girlhood Studies
Author:
Supriya Baily George Mason University, USA sbaily1@gmu.edu

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7677-979X
,
Gloria Wang gloriawang61@gmail.com

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8017-0493
, and
Elisabeth Scotto-Lavino George Mason University, USA escottol@masonlive.gmu.edu

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https://orcid.org/000-0002-1981-7593
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2020.130208
Keywords:
education; empowerment; identity development; influence; networks; social relationships; youth
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Abstract

In the call for proposals for this special issue, activist networks were defined as virtual or in person communities devoted to social change. The impact for girls active in these networks has been shown to promote identity development and de-marginalization/empowerment/reclamation of political spaces where girls are marginalized, intergenerational collaboration among women, and community building among feminists. In this study, we seek to explore how women at different generational points reflect on and remember their engagement in social activism. Understanding how these generational shifts affect the impact of social capital on the lives of these women and the changes we might see as they mature into leaders will provide a platform to better understand the influence of belonging to such networks during girlhood.

Contributor Notes

Supriya Baily (ORCID: 0000-0002-7677-979X) spent fifteen years working with peace, gender, and development organizations in India and the United States before joining the academy. At George Mason University, she teaches courses in international and comparative education, gender and education, qualitative research methods, and teacher education. Email: sbaily1@gmu.edu

Gloria Wang (ORCID: 0000-0002-8017-0493) is a high school student and incoming freshman at Princeton University. She has taken AP Research and Seminar through which she has presented at the US Department of Education and the Pulitzer Center of Crisis Reporting. Her research interests include vernacular in English education and financial literacy. Email: gloriawang61@gmail.com

Elisabeth (Betsy) M. Scotto-Lavino (ORCID: 0000-0002-1981-7593) is a Ph.D. student at George Mason University. Her work in family literacy inspired research interests that focus on the ways in which nonformal U.S. education programs can utilize critical aesthetic practices to strengthen the empowerment of immigrant women and inspire community activism and leadership. Email: escottol@masonlive.gmu.edu.

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Girlhood Studies

An Interdisciplinary Journal

Cover Girlhood Studies
Article Category:
Research Article
Page Count:
17
Keywords:
education; empowerment; identity development; influence; networks; social relationships; youth
Print Publication Date:
01 Jun 2020
Online Publication Date:
01 Jun 2020
Copyright:
© Berghahn Books 2020

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