Professor Ruth Pearson’s work celebrated

The work and achievements of two of the UK's leading feminist intellectuals will be celebrated at a special event at the university this week. Representatives from the UN, the Department for International Development (DfID), and universities and international organisations from around the world will come together in Leeds to pay tribute to the work of Ruth Pearson, Professor of International Development at the University of Leeds, and Diane Elson, Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex. The 'New Frontiers in Feminist Political Economy' event takes place: On: Friday 9 and Saturday 10 September In: Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre, Michael Sadler Building Professors Pearson and Elson will give talks reflecting on their intellectual contributions and partnerships over the last 30 years. Professor Pearson came to Leeds in 2000 after establishing the Gender Analysis and Development programmes at UEA, and holding the Chair in Women and Development at the Institute for Social Sciences in The Hague. Her research has been focused on analysing globalization from a gender perspective. Her talk ' From Nimble Fingers to Flexible Workers: Women Workers in the Global Economy ' will examine changes in the employment of women workers internationally, reflecting the increased complexities of in global production systems, and the ways in which work on migration, care and reproduction has enhanced the understanding of the gendered nature of globalisation. Professor Anne Kerr of the University of Leeds, Professor Shirin Rai of the University of Warwick, and Professor Georgina Waylen of the University of Sheffield will also speak.