The University of Pennsylvania’s Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Program and Alice Paul Center for Research on Gender, Sexuality, and Women have appointed a new director, Nancy J. Hirschmann. She succeeds Christine Poggi, professor of history of art who led the program from 2011 to 2014.

Hirschmann, former holder of the R. Jean Brownlee Endowed Term Chair, designated for faculty working in the area of gender and sexuality, and a professor in the political science department, is the author of many monographs, articles, and edited volumes in feminist theory. Her book The Subject of Liberty: Toward a Feminist Theory of Freedom, won the Victoria Schuck Award from the American Political Science Association for the best book on women and politics. She has held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, The Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and others. She previously served as the graduate chair and the vice chair of the Department of Political Science as well as vice president of the American Political Science Association.

“We are all thrilled that Nancy is taking on this important position for Penn,” said Janice Fanning Madden, chair of the search committee and professor of regional science, sociology and real estate. “We look forward to the new ideas and projects that prominent scholars like Nancy bring to Penn’s historic and continuing creation of new understandings of gender, women, and sexuality.”

“Professor Hirschmann plans to expand GSWS in ways that will enhance our scholarly work, teaching and interdisciplinary exchange,” said Kathy Peiss, Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of history.

“Penn has many of the country’s leading feminist scholars in a variety of departments and schools, and GSWS brings them together for the benefit of the students and the university with creative programming, cross-listed courses, and fellowship programs to assist junior faculty and students doing work in gender and sexuality studies” Hirschmann said.  “I’m very excited to be working more actively with these colleagues and our terrific staff to continue this important work, but also to make its contributions more visible to the rest of the campus.”