SWS is Daliesque

I attended the 2012 Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) Winter meeting in St. Petersburg and stayed an extra day to visit the Dali Museum which is a centerpiece of St. Petersburg. Prior to visiting the Museum, I knew little about Dali and his work, other than some notion of surrealism, melting watches, and his mustache. During my visit to the Museum, I was captivated by the titles of his paintings as well as the scientific and artistic principles underlying his work. I visited the Museum immediately after the SWS Winter meeting and, consequently, these two seemingly separate experiences have melded together for me. By playing off some of Dali’s absurdly titled paintings, I hope to convey why SWS is Daliesque.

Dali: “Eggs on the Plate Without the Plate”
SWS: Meeting in the Hotel Without the Hotel

Dali’s “Eggs” painting portrays his bliss when in the womb. Even though the meeting was held in an impersonal hotel, the atmosphere was open and welcoming for first timers to “old-timers” like myself who haven’t attended many meetings. Several structures were in place to create a safe place where people could meet and new ideas and relationships were birthed and celebrated: the SWS Hand Match, SWS sponsored lunch, and hosted dinners.

Prior to the meetings, through the SWS Hand Match program, old timers and first time attendees were matched. Yun Cho, a first-year graduate student at University of Wisconsin Madison, and I met each other through the Hand Match program. We emailed each other before the meeting and met up throughout the meeting. Yun says: “I benefited from the SWS Hand Match as a first-timer at the SWS meeting.”

The SWS sponsored-lunch meant attendees did not have to look for a lunch spot nor eat alone. The round tables were large enough that I was able to sit at a table where others were already sitting and not feel like I was intruding. I was soon joined by Alaina Mathers, an undergraduate at Florida State University. I enjoyed meeting her and hearing about her ethnographic study of straight allies in a PFLAG chapter and her plans to attend graduate school.

The hosted dinner was another opportunity to nurture new relationships and ideas. An SWS member chose a restaurant and others signed up. Diane Kholos Wysocki, University of Nebraska at Kearney, hosted dinner and conversation for six at 400 Beach Street Seafood and Tap House.

Dali: “Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln”
SWS Contemplates Women in Society which at Any Meter Becomes the Portrait of Society
When standing close to this painting, one sees Gala (Dali’s spouse) gazing at the Mediterranean Sea. Standing 20 meters back from the painting, an observer sees Abraham Lincoln’s head. The idea that things look different close up than they do far away or that one’s standpoint affects what one sees is an integral principle of feminist sociology and could be experienced everywhere at the Winter meeting, for instance:

• The plenary panel on “ADVANCE” addressed the participation and advancement of individual women in academic science and engineering careers and institutional transformation.
• In the workshop on “Feminist Issues and Strategies from Career Development Through Creative Retirement,” women reflected on their careers from different vantage points.
• The plenary panel “Mentoring Across Color Lines” examined the individual rewards and costs of mentoring across color lines and institutional supports and barriers.

Dali: The Hallucinogenic Toreador
SWS: The Mind-Expanding Activist
Another of Dali’s double image paintings, the Hallucinogenic Toreador contains repeated images of Venus de Milo inside a bullring with the face of a toreador hidden within. For me, the embedded bullfighter is transformed into feminist activism which is at the heart of Sociologists for Women in Society.

Throughout the meeting, participants and presenters addressed what feminist sociology means for women in society and how to convey our message for maximum impact. For instance,
• The panel “Human Rights and the Women’s Treaty: Why We Should Care, What We Can Do”
• The panel “How Sociologists Can Create an Online Presence, Learn to Use Twitter, and Blog Their Way to a Bigger Part of the Global Discussion”
• The plenary by Stephanie Coontz, Council on Contemporary Families, “The Perils and Promise of Going Public”

From a safe haven for generating visionary ideas and actions to the principles of complex realities and illusions to a blend of scientific thinking and feminist paradigms, SWS is Daliesque.