Feminist Institute of Social Transformation

Established in 1987, the Institute was formerly known as the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies (PJIWGS).  The Institute fosters research and study, sponsors events and speakers, and promotes discussion and debate on disability, gender, race, and sexuality issues among faculty and students across the campus. Faculty members in various departments at Carleton University conduct research into diverse areas, including the intersections of race/class/gender/culture, transnationalism, migration, gendered labor, dis/ability, sexuality, LGBTQ issues, masculinities, and much more.

In addition, the Institute houses the Carleton University – University of Ottawa Joint Chair in Women’s Studies, established by the Secretary of State Women’s Program in 1985.

The Institute offers B.A. and M.A. degrees in Women’s and Gender Studies, Minors in Sexuality Studies, and Disability Studies joined the Institute in 2018, followed by the launch of a brand new Minor in Critical Race Studies in 2021.

Areas of Research

Faculty members in various departments at Carleton University conduct research into diverse areas, including:

  • Intersectional theory
  • Queer theory
  • Affect theory
  • Transnationalism
  • Migration
  • Cultural/Gender history
  • Archival research
  • LGBTQ issues
  • Masculinities
  • Decolonization
  • Dis/ability
  • Sexuality
  • Violence against women
  • Gender and diversity
  • Gender and the media
  • Gendered affective labor
  • and much more

Commitment to Excellence

The Feminist Institute of Social Transformation is committed to achieving the highest standards of excellence in our teaching, research, and scholarship. The Institute’s primary purpose is to encourage engaged, critical feminist thought from diverse perspectives. It is a place to explore scholarship and activism for all those with interest in feminist and equity issues.