VUB professor Karen Celis formulates answers to the persisting poverty of political representation women experience.
Reflections dealing with current political hot topics such as abortion, burkini and prostitution
Book launch “Feminist Democratic Representation” - 13 November 2020 – 17.00 - Facebook Live
Dear journalist,
On Friday 13 November, Prof Dr Karen Celis (VUB) and Prof Sarah Childs (University of London) will present their new publication Feminist Democratic Representation. With this book, published by the prestigious Oxford University Press, they formulate concrete answers to the persistent political under-representation of women. Their reflections jump off from current political hot topics such as abortion, the burkini and prostitution.
“Women’s suffrage and gender quotas were the first steps in the realisation of political equality between men and women. But it is clear today that this is not enough. Feminist Democratic Representation proposes the next step,” says Prof. Celis. “In the book, Sarah and I imagine what the representation of women in all their diversity should look like, and that is much more than just having more women in politics. We are introducing a new type of representatives who have two crucial roles to play: informing and holding elected representatives to account. In this way, closer relationships will be established between women and the formal political institutions. We illustrate the importance of this with a number of topical political themes: the burkini, prostitution, abortion and Marine Le Pen. So, against the more fashionable tide of ‘post-representative politics’, we don’t argue for fewer representatives, but rather for more, and above all better representation.”
You are welcome to the digital presentation of the book on Friday 13 November at 17.00. You can register your presence on the Facebook page. If you would like an interview in advance with Prof Celis, contact VUB press relations via 0473 96 41 37 or sicco.wittermans@vub.be.
The event will take place in English, but interviews can also take place in Dutch.
For more information, please contact:
Karen Celis
0494 99 52 39
