National Women's Studies Association

In 1973, women's studies pioneer Catharine R. Stimpson called for the founding of a national women's studies organization.^[8] Discussions took place over the next three years in women’s studies spaces. In 1976, Sybil Weir from San Jose State University called an official meeting for people interested in creating plans for a national organization.^[3]

Following a grant from the Ford Foundation, the first NWSA conference was held in January 1977 at the University of San Francisco, co-sponsored by San Jose State University and the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women.^[9] Over 500 people attended the three-day convention. According to Barbara W. Gerber, who served on NWSA's Coordinating Council, NSA aimed to be inclusive of all women, with a subset of regional groups, and agreed upon a leadership group known as the Coordinating Council.^[3]

NWSA was formed to further the social, political, and professional development of women's studies throughout the world. The organization centers open dialogue and communication among women for positive social change and was founded upon the women's liberation movement. It promotes freedom from sexism, racism, homophobia, antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and from all suppressive ideologies and institutions. Its goals are to equip women to enter society and transform the world to one without systemic oppression.^[10]

Women of color protested racism within the organization during its early years, as did immigrant women. Men also reported being treated as if they had no right to participate.^[11] In 1979, after attending the conference, Nupur Chaudhuri wrote an article A Third World Woman's View of the Convention, outlining her negative experiences.^[12] As a result, the NWSA created the Third World Caucus, later the Women of Color Caucus, and established a coordinating council of the group. Chaudhuri drafted guidelines for inclusiveness to eliminate sexism and racism in future conferences, which were implemented in 1980.^[13] During NWSA's 1981 conference in Storrs, Connecticut, poet Audre Lorde gave the keynote address admonishing conference-goers that if "women in the academy truly want a dialogue about racism, it will require recognizing the needs and living contexts of other women."^[5]

The 1981 conference was further criticized by Chela Sandoval for its classism, as travel fare and conference fees were difficult to afford. This coupled with the theme of racism caused attendance rates to suffer. The lack of inclusivity for women of color led to the Third World Women's Consciousness Raising group to discuss issues of racism and classism in NWSA.^[14]

During the closing of the 1981 conference Barbara Smith, a member of the Combahee River Collective (CRC), asserted that for all the white women within NWSA tired of hearing about racism, there were just as many women of color who were sick of experiencing it. She criticizes NWSA for the disconnect between their goals and actions by stating their definition of feminism fails at being inclusive of all women.^[6] Smith's work within the CRC argues not to separate race from class or sexual oppression because they are experienced simultaneously.^[15]

Former NWSA president Beverly Guy-Sheftall noted, "I wanted NWSA to be an inclusive, multiracial, multicultural organization where women of color and their feminisms would not be marginalized."^[7] Led by feminists like Guy-Sheftall, NWSA has worked to center intersectionality in its institutional practices and leadership structure with the support of a Ford Foundation grant.^[16]

During the 1977 conference, lesbians spoke about their invisibility in NWSA. Lesbians during this time were combating internal and external homophobia along with their racist and classist issues. This birthed the Lesbian Women's Caucus which sought to address issues of homophobia from within the organization and the media.^[17]

In 2015, the NWSA membership voted to "back the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel" along with other major academic organizations.^[18][19] In response to critiques of antisemitism following their support of member Jasbir K. Puar, NWSA responded by stating the organization holds firm in their conviction.^[20]

NWSA offers individual annual memberships with cost bands based on employment, income, and student status. Individuals members can find colleagues in the member directory, present at the annual conference, receive reduced registration rates, apply for scholarships and conference grants, apply for NWSA awards and prizes, and participate in the discussion forums. Benefits of being an individual membership include being able to be a representation member and have the ability to discuss ideas.^[21]

Institutions can list their program, department, or nonprofit organization in the public member directory, receive three complimentary student memberships annually, post employment listings related to women's studies, and participate in the discussion forum.^[21]

The National Women’s Studies Association held its annual conference. The conference that was held in November year of 2013. The conference was called “ Negotiating Points of Encounter”. The conference focused on sub themes such as “the sacred and profane”, “border and margins”, “futures of the feminist past”, and “body politics”.

NWSA membership offers the ability to join several constituency groups, including:^[22]

NWSA publishes Feminist Formations, a journal that cultivates feminist conversations from around the world regarding research, theory, activism, teaching, and learning. The journal changed its name from NWSA Journal in 2010 to be inclusive of both NWSA conference papers and works from academic sources and individuals globally.^[23]

Every year from April to June, NWSA presents awards and prizes for books, students, and women's centers:^[24]