Testimonials
I love working in an environment where people are committed to imagining and working towards a more just and equal world.
- Programme
- Intersectional Gender Studies
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Katrine Smiet. I am an assistant professor in Gender & Diversity working at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies. As you already see from my affiliation, I have a dual profile: I have a background both in Philosophy and in Gender Studies. I would say that I am a feminist philosopher who works through an intersectional lens.
Since 2021, I have been part of the core team who has worked on designing this Master’s programme in Intersectional Gender Studies. In the Master's, I will be one of the coordinators and teachers in the core course Intersectionality: From Theory to Practice. In this course, I will bring in my expertise on intersectionality theory, approaching it from a more philosophical and theoretical angle. My co-teacher Marieke van den Brink will be focusing on the application of that knowledge in practices. This makes us a perfect team.
Why did you choose to study/work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
What I love about Gender Studies is working in an environment where people are committed to imagining and working towards a more just and equal world. In our field, we are keenly aware of the injustices and inequalities that exist in the world and know that these are complex and multifaceted problems. Yet we still think that we can play a part and make a change, however small. This counts both for the colleagues that I collaborate with, as well as our students. The passion, energy and commitment that I see in the people around me really inspires me.
Gender Studies is a very creative and open field of studies and research. That also has to do with the interdisciplinary nature of the field. As a philosopher, I have a very different way of doing research than my colleagues who are historians, psychologists or management studies scholars. We ask different types of questions and use different methods and approaches to answer those questions. However, we share a focus on gender and diversity, as well as an intersectional lens. The fact that we are sitting around the same table and are able to learn from each other is a huge benefit.
What are you currently doing your own research on?
My current research is on philosophy of education and critical pedagogies. This research focus allows me to bring together my hands-on teaching practice with philosophical reflection in a unique way. I am currently leading an action research project called ‘Sites for Unlearning’, funded by a Comenius Senior Fellowship. In this project, we work together with students and teachers in the philosophy department in a bottom-up way. Using embodied and art-based methods, the project explores what we would need to ‘unlearn’ in order to make the curriculum more diverse and inclusive.
I am excited to see how the new Master’s programme also will be able to incorporate these insights. When we were designing the Master’s programme, it was very important for us to make sure that students have agency in their own learning trajectory. Too often students are conceived of as passive recipients of knowledge, while actually students are active participants in their learning process, who construct their own understanding through experiences and interactions.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
I believe that it is important to follow your own curiosity and interests. If you do not have this intrinsic motivation, it will be a challenge to sustain the hard work that it takes to complete a graduate degree. I would encourage you to pick a Master's programme that you believe will challenge you and help you grow not only academically, but also as a person. If you are interested in questions around diversity and in/equalities, then the Intersectional Gender Studies programme might just be the right one for you. But don’t just take my word for it: do your own research and compare our programme with other options.
What is the best part of working with students?
It's great to work with students, as I believe the classroom is a space of possibility where many unexpected things can happen. When we come together to discuss a text or a case study, each person brings with them their own knowledge and experiences. This can lead to surprising new insights, which can also challenge my own beliefs and preconceptions. For me, the traditional hierarchy between students and teachers is one that we should always work to challenge and subvert: I learn as much from my students as I hope they learn from me.