I’ve been teaching the reflexive writing component of the Masters in Women’s Studies in UCC for many years now. Reflexive writing involves analysing and critiquing new information in relation to one’s own feelings and experiences, bringing the personhood of the researcher into the centre of the learning experience.  As a feminist writer, I use reflexive writing to try to start breaking down the patriarchal, and sometimes elitist, structures still prevalent in academia, where there is often no room for ‘I’.

 

Every year, when the students submit their completed journals to me, I am moved by their eloquent, passionate words. The entries are always so topical and engaging; I wish each year that there was a platform where they could be read and appreciated by a wider audience.  

 

Here is a selection of pieces written by the students, and published with their permission.