Keimyung University Institute for Women's Studies to Hold "Gender and the Commons" Colloquium in Jeju

Academic Exchange and MOU Signing at Jeju National University and Jeju Women’s Association on February 25-26
Linking Region-Based Research and Women’s Studies to Explore Pathways for a Sustainable Social Transition

The Institute for Women's Studies at Keimyung University (Director Choi Yunkyung) will hold a colloquium and academic exchange event on the theme of "Gender and the Commons" in collaboration with research institutes and women's organizations in the Jeju region.

The event aims to explore the role of women's studies in responding to complex social issues such as the climate crisis, the care crisis, and regional extinction, and to strengthen a region-based academic network.

Provided by Keimyung University

The Keimyung University Institute for Women's Studies, together with the Jeju National University Center for Commons and Sustainable Society (Director Choi Hyun) and Jeju Women’s Association, will hold the event from February 25 to 26 at Building 2, Hyeonseokjae, in the College of Humanities at Jeju National University.

This program is the first joint event to be held since the signing of an academic exchange MOU in April 2025.

The colloquium "Gender and the Commons," which will take place on the first day from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., will feature academic presentations that combine commons theory and gender theory.

Professor Ahn Sookyung of the Department of Women's Studies at Keimyung University will analyze the intersection between women's reproductive labor and commons theory under the theme "Gender and the Commons: Focusing on the Theories of Maria Mies and Silvia Federici."

Jang Jieun, full-time researcher at the Keimyung University Institute for Women's Studies, will give a presentation titled "Ecological Commoning Practices of Local Women," shedding light on the significance of commons-oriented practices carried out by women in local communities.

The academic exchange session, to be held on the second day from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will feature presentations and a general discussion on the theme "Local Research and the Role of Women's Studies for a Sustainable Society."

It will address regional case studies such as the politics of responsive safety centered on the 2024-2025 Daegu Citizens’ National Convention, the Jeju Gender-Equal Village Project, a critical feminist analysis of research on single mothers, the landscape of Namgok in Jeju and the geography of desire in the 1970s, and an oral life history study of young women in Daegu.

Researchers and civil society activists will participate together to explore ways of cooperation that connect academia and the field.

Choi Hyun, Director of the Jeju National University Center for Commons and Sustainable Society, said, "The crises facing local communities are calling for a transformation in our way of life," adding, "The encounter between commons research and women's studies will provide an important intellectual foundation for reconfiguring care, ecology, and local communities."

He continued, "I hope this academic exchange will serve as a starting point for ongoing research collaboration linking Jeju and Daegu."

Choi Yunkyung, Director of the Keimyung University Institute for Women's Studies, said, "Women's activities in care and community maintenance have long been regarded as invisible labor, yet they have been the driving force sustaining local communities," and emphasized, "I hope this event will serve as an opportunity to connect women's studies with region-based research and to explore concrete pathways for a sustainable social transition."

On the afternoon of the 26th, when the event concludes, a signing ceremony will be held for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Keimyung University Institute for Women's Studies and Jeju Women’s Association.

The two institutions plan to strengthen cooperation between local women's movements and university research institutes, and to continuously promote joint research as well as educational and academic events.