Founded in 1972, Feminist Studies was the first scholarly journal in women’s studies and remains a flagship publication. It raises social and political questions affecting people globally by studying gender’s intersections with race, sexuality, economy, geography, and physical ability. Each issue features research alongside extensive artistic, creative, and activist contributions. The journal emphasizes interdisciplinary research, ensuring academic through the peer review process. With an editorial collective and consultants across multiple disciplines, the journal maintains a highly selective acceptance rate of under 8 percent.
Planned by New York feminist activists and scholars from Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College, the journal created an analytical and political forum focused on women and gender. First run out of Ann Calderwood’s apartment, it published three volumes before 1977, including special issues with early Berkshire Conference papers. Following the academic growth of women’s studies, the journal restructured in 1977 under an academic collective. Led by Editorial Director Claire G. Moses, it moved to the University of Maryland at College Park. Until 2020, University of Maryland’s Department of Women’s Studies provided office space and a small stipend, but the journal remained a self-publishing, independent, and self-supporting entity with a small paid staff. Currently, the journal is fully independent of any academic institution and consists of an editorial collective and a small staff.
Widely cited and reprinted, its articles have formed four anthologies: Clio’s Consciousness Raised, Sex and Class in Women’s History, U.S. Women in Struggle, and Lesbian Subjects.
As the oldest scholarly journal in its field, Feminist Studies serves as the journal of record for interdisciplinary women’s studies scholarship. Content is vetted by an interdisciplinary editorial board and a broad pool of consultants. Every accepted article undergoes rigorous peer review by specialists and multiple editors to maintain elite standards while appealing to a broad audience.
The journal enjoys a broad reach, with its content accessed and cited across diverse disciplines including anthropology, sociology, history, science and technology studies, literature, critical race studies, sexuality studies, critical ethnic studies, and art history. It is indexed in major databases like Academic Search Premier, Contemporary Women’s Issues, and the Social Sciences Citation Index.