Institute of Gender Studies

Table of Contents

The Institute of Gender Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje was formed in 2007, and it welcomed its first generation of students in the academic year 2008-2009. The idea behind the founding of undergraduate Gender studies emerged from several members of the Humanist Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, in 2002. Until that time, gender studies were not a focus of interest at the Faculties in the country, which served as an added incentive for their establishment and development. The idea was to offer a group of study that would be compatible with the modern theoretical and educational trends worldwide, as well as, from a national perspective, to implement the gender component in all fields of societal life. The realization of the idea began in 2005, when the then Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, professor Trajan Gocevski, PhD, formed a team made up of the professors: Slobodanka Markovska, PhD; Marija Taševa, PhD; Denko Skalovski, PhD; Vladimir Davčev, PhD; and Suzana Simonovska, PhD. The start of the Institute of Gender Studies, as the first such studies in our country and on the Balkans, was warmly received in the reports of the European Commission, as a sign of progress in the Republic of Macedonia, on its path to achieving EU membership. In the fourth and fifth periodic reports in 2011, following the Convention to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, the start of the activity of the Institute of Gender Studies was emphasized as a notable achievement of our country in the realization of the Convention.

In the academic year 2013-2014, only five years into its existence, student enrollment at the Institute of Gender Studies was paused, and then it was reactivated in 2017-2018. That same academic year (2017-2018), the Institute of Gender Studies introduced its post-graduate studies, which received accreditation in 2017. Professor Vladimir Davčev, PhD, is in charge of these studies. The plan is to introduce doctoral studies, as well, with the aim of offering continuous education in the sphere of gender studies at all three levels of studies – undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral.

So far, 357 undergraduates have enrolled at the Institute of Gender Studies, out of whom, 197 have obtained their degree. The Gender Studies have been created as interdisciplinary studies, and they offer a combination of classical, humanistic tradition, together with current trends and innovations in the sphere of humanities and social sciences. The objective of these studies is to enable the students to learn about the roles and functions of gender and sex, as well as their relations from a diachronic perspective, their emancipatory trends and movements, going deep into the roots of gender discrimination and oppression in all segments of societal life. The main aim of these studies is to shape gender-conscious professionals, who will work for gender equality, and human rights, and who will act as pillars in the creation and realization of policies and measures for gender quality, at the same time, being ready to recognize and deal with gender-related prejudices and stereotypes, and the various forms of discrimination, such as gender, religious, ethnic, racial, motivated by sexual orientation, and so on.

From the time it was founded, the Institute of Gender Studies has had to deal with the issue of being understaffed in terms of academic personnel. As a result of its limited teaching staff, as well as due to its interdisciplinary nature, the Institute of Gender Studies has had to rely on the engagement of a number of professors from other Institutes at the Faculty of Philosophy, from other Faculties within the “Ss Cyril and Methodius” University, as well as other professional associates involved in this area, in the realization of both its undergraduate and its post-graduate studies.

The professors at the Institute of Gender Studies have taught, and, in fact, teach, at the other Institutes within the Faculty of Philosophy, as well as at other Faculties. Furthermore, they have been involved in the realization of the post-graduate and doctoral level studies organized at the Faculty of Philosophy, and at other academic institutions, and have, within that framework, been supervisors and members of thesis defense committees. Besides their engagement in the educational scope of activity, the Institute members are also involved in numerous academic and professional conventions, congresses, and symposiums in the country and abroad, in public discussions and forums, promoting the principles of gender equality and equal opportunities.

The faculty at the Institute of Gender Studies has realized numerous research projects in the area of gender studies, independently or within a team made up of state institutions and organizations from the civilian sector. With the aim of securing literature in Macedonian for its students, the Institute was involved in the realization of the project of translating the 5-volume edition A History of Women in the West (a work of major significance in the area of gender studies). In cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy – the Equal Opportunities Sector – the Institute was involved in the realization of the creation of a Gender Equality Strategy 2013-2020, as well as in the first Gender-Budget Analysis of Social Protection and Active Employment Policies. The Institute of Gender Studies is partner to the City of Skopje in the realization of gender equality, and has been involved in the project Women’s Human Rights Evenings, in collaboration with the UN Woman Office in Skopje and the University of Audiovisual Arts ESRA. The students from both ESRA and the Institute of Gender Studies are actively involved in this project. The Institute has also taken part in the creation of the Gender Equality Strategy of the City of Skopje and the action plan for the 2016 – 2021 period, and is involved in the creation of the new Equal Opportunities Law.

At the initiative of the members of the Institute of Gender Studies (professor Vladimir Davčev, PhD, and professor Bobi Badarevski, PhD), 2020 marked the start of the Interdisciplinary Center of Cognitive Sciences at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje.

The professors are also actively involved in including the students in extra-curricular activities, through their participation in various organized events, such as workshops and training sessions, at the interactive Forum theater on the topic of gender violence (held at the Faculty of Philosophy), as well as the 8 March march. The students are also involved as volunteers in the WikiGap publications, with the aim of increasing the number of texts on Wikipedia on women of prominence from North Macedonia, and all around the world, or on important events about gender equality.

The Institute of Gender Studies consists of the following members: Denko Skalovski, PhD; Vladimir Davčev, PhD; Suzana Simonovska, PhD and Bobi Badarevski, PhD.