The Addiction and Gender program area at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG) brings together scholars in the social, biological and health sciences, and the humanities to advance our understanding of the ways in which society and biology influence ideas about women’s (and men’s) substance use and how substance use, in turn, shapes attitudes about social and reproductive roles.
The Addiction and Gender program area aims to catalyze new collaborations among scholars from across the disciplines who are interested in the intersections among gender identity, sexuality, social status, and all forms of substance use, misuse, and abuse. We consider these issues from a range of perspectives, including historical and cultural contexts, biological and social variables, and public policy implications.
The program includes a speaker series and forums to facilitate collaboration. A further goal is documenting the contributions of pioneering scholars who conducted early research on female addicts and on the gendered dimensions of substance use and abuse.
Speaker Series
The program encourages presentations and panel discussions on issues of gender and addiction, including showcasing the work of early scholars in the field.
During Winter 2010, the program will commemorate the work of Dr. Edith Lisansky Gomberg, a long-time University of Michigan faculty member who was one of the first scholars to study the experiences of female alcoholics and to explore gender differences in addiction.
In future years, the Program in Addiction and Gender plans to host speakers on the following themes:
The Gendering of Substance. The series will highlight the work of internationally recognized scholars who study the complex relationships among gender identity, gender oppression, and substance use and misuse. Topics to be explored include substance use and its relationship to sexual expression, sex work, sexual harassment, bullying and domestic violence.
The Substance of Sex. The series will focus on the work of scholars who challenge the biological assumptions inherent in debates about substance abuse and women’s health. Scholars will explore the ways in which biological theories about substance intoxication and its consequences reflect conventional gender roles and entrenched disciplinary ideologies rather than impartial scientific inquiry. Topics will include fetal alcohol syndrome, recovery from addiction, safe/unsafe consumption of illicit drugs, and genetic vulnerability.
Past eventsSex, Gender, and Drug Abuse. During Fall 2008, the Program in Addiction and Gender co-sponsored a two-day symposium that explored issues of sex and gender difference in addiction from a variety of perspectives, including animal models, brain imaging, and longitudinal studies of drinking patterns among human subjects.
Reflections of Substance. During Winter 2008, the Program in Addiction and Gender hosted a speaker series on the historical dimensions of women’s use of mood-altering substances. Beginning as early as the nineteenth century, women’s substance use has been the focus of social condemnation and legislative proscription. Historians have documented changes in alcohol and drug policy that reflect a wider desire to control women’s bodies and social roles.
Encouraging CollaborationThe Addiction and Gender program area sponsors an ongoing quarterly breakfast meeting with scheduling details available each semester. Anyone interested in issues of addiction and gender, including researchers, clinicians, teachers, and others from both the university and the wider community are invited. The breakfasts will provide an opportunity to network, share work in progress, and discuss the intersection of gender with issues of substance use and abuse (including such topics as medical perspectives, the role of the media, treatment of addiction, and drinking and drug use among youth and college students).
The Addiction and Gender program area also hosts an ongoing writing group for scholars in any field who would like to receive feedback on their work (including proposals, conference papers, and articles) in a supportive workshop environment.
The Addiction and Gender program area maintains a CTools site with details about these activities and other events and opportunities of interest. If you would like to be added to the CTools site, please contact Michelle McClellan, details below.
The Gender and Addiction program area is directed by Michelle McClellan (mmcclel@umich.edu).Dr. McClellan holds appointments in the Department of History, the Residential College, and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.