Note: These are a guide for consideration. If you wish to submit one, please send to awgsa.submissions@gmail.com

 

Aligned with AWGSA’s Mission and Values

All communications must align with AWGSA’s role as the peak body for Women’s and Gender Studies in Australia and be aligned to promoting feminist scholarship, equity, social justice, and advocacy across academic and public spheres.

 

Respect for Sovereignty and Acknowledgement of Country

Each publication should:

• Acknowledge the unceded, sovereign lands of Australia’s First Peoples.
• Recognise the ongoing impacts of colonisation, and uphold the values of the Uluru Statement of the Heart
• Embed decolonial and Indigenous-informed perspectives wherever possible.

 

Grounded in Evidence and Scholarly Integrity

• Where possible, assertions must be supported by credible, referenced evidence.
• Prioritise peer-reviewed research, reputable institutions, and official data.
• Maintain academic rigour while remaining accessible to a broader audience.

 

Framed Through an Intersectional Feminist Lens

• Apply an intersectional sensibility, recognising the ways gender interacts with race, class, sexuality, disability, age, migration status, and other forms of structural oppression.
• Emphasise systemic and institutional drivers of inequality rather than individualised explanations.

 

Responsive to Social and Political Urgency

• Address current or ongoing issues of national, academic, or community significance, particularly where silence may reinforce harm or marginalisation.
• Where possible, publications are timely and add value to public dialogue or policy discussions.

 

Clear Positioning and Purpose

• Clearly articulate AWGSA’s stance on the issue.
• Where appropriate, include calls to action, recommendations, or pathways for reform, solidarities, or support.

 

Voice of Solidarity, Not Saviourism

• Centre affected communities and recognise their leadership, agency, and expertise.
• Use language of solidarity and collective care, avoiding paternalism or saviour narratives.

 

Ethical, Inclusive, and Trauma-Informed Language

• Communicate with care when addressing trauma, violence, and injustice.  Consider the use of a content warning.
• Avoid sensationalism or stereotypes, instead use affirming, inclusive, and non-stigmatising language and representations.
• Respect the dignity of individuals and communities impacted.

 

Profiling Lived Experience and Expertise

• Where possible, collaborate with or amplify voices of people with lived experience, scholars, activists, and communities most affected.
• Acknowledge contributions, co-authorship, or inspiration transparently and respectfully.

 

Commitment to Prevention, Justice, and Transformation

• Go beyond critique to propose meaningful change.
• Emphasise that gendered and systemic exclusion, marginalisation and harm are preventable.
• Champion transformative action that leads towards equity, accountability, and justice.