A Constructive Approach to the Identity of Woman

Our Women's Studies 1 class at Swarthmore College began this semester (spring '98) with the question, What is "woman"? After several months of considering the academic and theoretical arguments, we have decided to focus our final project on a more personal and tangible level. This web page is an opportunity for us to share our thoughts, hopes and discoveries of this project's research (which was given as an oral report for the class on Monday, April 20). Our goal is to find a constructive, holistic vision of the connection between mind and body in a woman's identity.


We are five students, each covering different aspects of the project that capture our individual interests.

  • Sam: Essentialism vs. Non-Essentialism
  • Sarah: Mother Goddess
  • Claire: Menstruation
  • Maya: Buddhism (and Tantric Practice)
  • Chris: Eco-Feminism, Jung and Shamanism
  • Conclusion

online links and resources | our annotated bibliography

We hope we've offered some new ideas to challenge and excite your thoughts about these valuable issues. Please feel free to contact any one of us to tell us what you think (email addresses can be found on the individual report pages, links above). This web page was created late April 1998.