Gender Studies in Rural Areas and Agriculture

ended

The Republic of Serbia, as a country striving to become part of EU community, has specific post-transition issues stemming from its historical, cultural and social heritage. In rural communities, which face numerous demographic, economic, social and developmental problems, there are still certain traditional, patriarchal gender structures and values. Although there are great efforts in our society to institutionally, politically and legally regulate the position of women, in reality their life in rural areas is often in complete contrast to the promoted values that exist only at the level of political correctness within certain institutions. Since the current study programs at the Faculty of Agriculture do not cover these topics, except sporadically in sociological courses, it is important that students gain better insight into this area. Owing to the complexity of these issues, it is also important that the proposed module “Gender Studies in Rural Areas and Agriculture” (AgriGen) is multidisciplinary, addressing the issues from sociological, economic and linguistic positions. The module is to cover the following: Social constructions of gender Contributions and challenges of feminist theories Gender in transition and transition of gender Family gender regime Gender identities in agriculture Gender and poverty Gender and education Gender and language Gender stereotypes and stigmatization Changes in gender structures and gender legal regulations Gender paradigm in rural development Through this module, students are to develop their knowledge, understanding and critical reflection on gender structures, as an issue significant for sustainable rural development. In this way, students will be able to contribute to recognizing the intragroup interests of women, articulating these interests and strengthening the internal developmental capacities of women, which would encourage them to become actively engaged in developmental activities in their rural communities.