Women's Studies Roundtable to look at notable women from the peace movement 11/04/08
Dr. Sandra L. Singer, professor of German at Alfred University, will present the Friday, Nov. 7 Women's Studies Roundtable from 12:20-1:10 p.m., in the Women's Leadership Center on campus. The program is open to the public free of charge.The title of her presentation is "Crazy for Peace: From Clara Immerwahr and Bertha von Suttner to Cindy Sheehan."In describing her presentation, Singer notes that "pacifists and other critics of war have been
condemned as traitors, bums, hoodlumism, and naive fools. Yet it takes remarkable courage for individuals to stand up against entire governments and other institutions that derive power and resources from the use of military force. She continues: "Although both men and women in the peace movement have been the target of violence, persecution, and harassment, this talk focuses on a particular type of abuse directed at women working for peace. This talk examines the case of two women, the Austrian peace activist, Bertha von Suttner, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, and the German chemist Clara Immerwahr, who protested against her husband's involvement in chemical warfare research.
A comparison is made between the ridicule faced by these women and the treatment endured by one of the best-known American peace activists of recent years, Cindy Sheehan."Singer earned doctoral and master of arts degrees in German from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a bachelor of arts degree in German from Michigan State University.
Her most recent publication appeared in the May 2007 edition of the German Studies Review.She has received
National Endowment for the Humanities Research Grants three times. Singer says her teaching interest is encouraging students at all levels to learn and speak German. She also has an interest in teaching Latin.Singer's current research work focuses on American Women at German-speaking Universities, 1868-1915, and the fiction and non-fiction women writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.For more information on the Women's Studies Roundtables, contact Singer at [email protected].
