Rebalancing Narratives: Women's Voices | Exploring Intersectionality

Exploring Marginalised Voices in the Boarding School Experience

This session brings together our community of researchers and practitioners to explore voices and perspectives that have often been marginalised within the predominantly white, male, British institution of boarding.

Women's voices

We will open with 2 highly respected speakers, who will consider the experiences of the female boarder within a system historically designed by and for men, and reflect on how structures built around uniformity and control can compound feelings of exclusion or rupture the 'different' child’s sense of belonging.

Whilst we focus on rebalancing the female narrative, we recognise this in no way diminishes or questions the validity of the experiences of the male boarder. Further, we recognise that across all groups of children, intersectional differences - gender, race, sexuality, neurodiversity, disability, culture, wealth or social status - can profoundly shape and intensify, the boarding experience of the individual.

Intersectionality

In the second half of this event, we will discuss intersectionality, and facilitate some systems mapping. This will help broaden our collective understanding of how the different facets of individual identity, class, gender race, origin and culture intersect and compound the impacts of boarding for each unique child. The co-created map will feed into the resources and theories that underpin our collective understanding of boarding, and inform our ongoing project to identify priority areas of research in this field.

Join the BSR Hub forum and strengthen our research community

This is a professionals-only event, and we urge participants to register as members of the BSR Hub members-only forum - the dedicated online space where researchers and practitioners across all disciplines can meet, collaborate, share knowledge and discuss boarding related topics with complete neutrality - without the risk of distressing former boarders in the public domain.

All academics, researchers, public health specialists, psychologists, practitioners and educators who share an interest in research into boarding, institutional care, criminology, sociology and education are warmly invited to join the members-only forum and join this event.

Agenda - in brief

10.00 am: Welcome and intros

10.15 am: BSR Hub walkthrough - what it is, why it matters, why YOUR involvement matters!

10.30 am: "Good for girls?" - Amelia White

10.45 am: Obedient Bodies and Silenced Voices: The Girl Child in the British Boarding School - Dr Juliet Brown

11.00 am: Presenters Q&A and discussion

11.20 am - Exploring Intersectionality / mapping

11.50 am - Thanks and close, future events and dates for your diary.

Participants are welcome to share details of events, news and research updates here, and on the forum.