Joan Elise Robinson Acker[1] (March 18, 1924 – June 22, 2016) was an American sociologist, researcher, writer and educator. She joined the University of Oregon faculty in 1967.[2] Acker is considered one of the leading analysts regarding gender and class within the second wave of feminism.[3]
Joan Acker | |
---|---|
Born | Joan Elise Robinson March 18, 1924 Illinois, United States |
Died | June 22, 2016 | (aged 92)
Nationality | American |
Known for | gendered organizations, gender inequality as institutionalized |
Spouse |
Martin Acker
(m. 1948; div. 1967) |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | University of Oregon |
Influences | Dorothy E. Smith, Heidi Hartmann, Rosabeth Moss Kanter |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Sociology, organizational studies |
Main interests | Feminism, race, class, gender |
Acker was born in Illinois in 1924.[4] She received her bachelor's degree from Hunter College, her master's from the University of Chicago, and her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon.[5]
Acker is best known for her theories on the relationship between race, class, and gender. She discusses this relationship in several of her publications, including her 2006 book Class Questions: Feminist Answers.[6] Acker describes the need to think about race, class, and gender not as separate entities but as "intersecting systems of oppression".[7]
Acker was professor of sociology at the University of Oregon until her retirement in 1993.[8] In 1973, Acker founded the Center for the Study of Women in Society at the University of Oregon. She was also professor at The Swedish Center for Working Life.[9][8] She successfully helped to raise pay wages for low-wage jobs in Oregon while serving on a state task force from 1981 to 1983.[5] She also served as co-editor of the academic journals Gender & Society and Gender, Organisation and Work.[8] In recognition of her scholarship, Acker received the American Sociological Association's Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award in 1993 and the Jessie Bernard Award for feminist scholarship in 1989.[10][11]
She died on June 22, 2016, at the age of 92.[9]
(Joan Elise Robinson Acker) vita (b. 1924)