{"title":"Transformation and Stasis: An Exploration of LGBTQA Students Prefiguring the Social Practices of Engineering for Greater Inclusivity","authors":"Joanna Weidler-Lewis","doi":"10.1080/19378629.2020.1801694","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The field of engineering continues to suffer from the underrepresentation of non-dominant groups despite concerted efforts towards change, particularly with respect to increasing women’s participation in the field. One way transformation in disciplines happens is through learning and the co-constitution of individuals and practices; as new students become engineers, they shape and transform the practice. In this article, I explore if and how a group of students are transforming the field of engineering through a process of prefiguration to be more inclusive of sexual orientation with the view that gender and sexual orientation intersect in meaningful ways. Based on ethnographic data and qualitative interviews, my findings suggest that students are able to change some aspects of engineering practice related to sexual identity, but that these changes have yet to impact the experience of gendered inequity. Despite increased recognition of sexual orientation in engineering, women continue to experience discrimination that men do not. Rather than remain defeatist in attempts to reach gender parity in the field, I conclude that prefiguration offers hope that it could be otherwise.","PeriodicalId":49207,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Studies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2020-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/19378629.2020.1801694","citationCount":"8","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Engineering Studies","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19378629.2020.1801694","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 8
Abstract
The field of engineering continues to suffer from the underrepresentation of non-dominant groups despite concerted efforts towards change, particularly with respect to increasing women’s participation in the field. One way transformation in disciplines happens is through learning and the co-constitution of individuals and practices; as new students become engineers, they shape and transform the practice. In this article, I explore if and how a group of students are transforming the field of engineering through a process of prefiguration to be more inclusive of sexual orientation with the view that gender and sexual orientation intersect in meaningful ways. Based on ethnographic data and qualitative interviews, my findings suggest that students are able to change some aspects of engineering practice related to sexual identity, but that these changes have yet to impact the experience of gendered inequity. Despite increased recognition of sexual orientation in engineering, women continue to experience discrimination that men do not. Rather than remain defeatist in attempts to reach gender parity in the field, I conclude that prefiguration offers hope that it could be otherwise.
Engineering StudiesENGINEERING, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
CiteScore
3.60
自引率
17.60%
发文量
12
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍:
Engineering Studies is an interdisciplinary, international journal devoted to the scholarly study of engineers and engineering. Its mission is threefold:
1. to advance critical analysis in historical, social, cultural, political, philosophical, rhetorical, and organizational studies of engineers and engineering;
2. to help build and serve diverse communities of researchers interested in engineering studies;
3. to link scholarly work in engineering studies with broader discussions and debates about engineering education, research, practice, policy, and representation.
The editors of Engineering Studies are interested in papers that consider the following questions:
• How does this paper enhance critical understanding of engineers or engineering?
• What are the relationships among the technical and nontechnical dimensions of engineering practices, and how do these relationships change over time and from place to place?