Assistant Professor Ophelia Vedder has received the Kenneth Sherrill Dissertation Prize from the American Political Science Association (APSA) for their dissertation, "Gender Abolition".
According to the APSA, "The Kenneth Sherrill Prize recognizes the best doctoral dissertation proposal for an empirical study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) topics in political science. The purpose of this prize is to encourage and enable empirical work on LGBT topics by graduate students, and to broaden the recognition of this work within political science."
In presenting the award, the award committee stated:
"This is a remarkable piece of work. The theoretical breadth and depth is exceptional. The work identifies ‘five engines of gender’ – which in itself is a great summary and read for any undergraduate student. The discussion of the ‘abolition’ v ‘reform’ debate is insightful and a great piece of political philosophy and consideration of public policy and state intervention. The outcome which calls for state intervention as well as personal responsibility for change is a pragmatic solution for a piece of work that could be considered fundamentally utopian political theory. This work sits alongside some of the foundational pieces on the de/construction of gender and the role of the state. The work raises fundamental questions for the LGBTQ community which has more than a significant political and social investment in relying upon bodies and sexual desires to define who we are politically and socially. Because of that investment, the work will receive extensive criticism. But Vedder is asking the right questions about what utopia we want, how we get there, and the impact that would have on our politics."
This is the second prize Vedder has received from the APSA for "Gender Abolition" after receiving the Best Dissertation Award from the Women, Gender, and Politics section of the APSA.
About Kenneth Sherill
Dr. Kenneth Sherrill was professor Emeritus of Political Science at Hunter College, CUNY, with a research focus on American politics, public opinion, and Gay and Lesbian politics. Sherrill died on Saturday, December 2, 2023. Read more about his impact and contributions to the APSA and the political science profession here.
