Critical Menstruation Studies - Summer School

The summer school will explore the contemporary discourse around menstruation as a key entry point for gender justice in global and local contexts. The shift in public discourse around menstruation is crucial because efforts to support menstruators across the lifecourse not only confer health benefits but are also part of an enduring project of pursuing gender justice. Centering attention on menstrual health resists pernicious social control of menstruators’ bodies and recognizes the body as foundational, urgent and politically relevant. We will draw on interdisciplinary insights to critically examine current developments in theory and practice.

The summer school examines gender justice through the lens of menstruation, discussing questions of gender stereotyping, transnational feminism, and gender identity. Participants will gain an understanding of the relevance of menstruation across different spheres of life combining bio-medical and socio-cultural factors. We will ask: What is the relationship between menstruation, human rights and gender justice?

During the week of the summer school, we will examine different spheres of life, including health, education, work, freedom of religion, and cultural rights. In doing so, the summer school will pay particular attention to the intersection of gender and other markers of inequalities, including disability, socio-economic status, age, caste, and gender identity. To make these discussions more concrete, there will also be an opportunity to discuss what it would mean to make WUR a menstruation-friendly campus.

Join us for the Summer School on Critical Menstruation Studies to explore why menstruation matters: it unites the personal and the political, the intimate and the public, the physiological and the socio-cultural.

General information

Dates:	8-12 June 2026
Contact person content:	Inga Winkler
Contact person logistics:	Marcella Haan
Credits:	3 ECTS
Venue:	Wageningen Campus

Lecturers

The course will be co-taught by a team of instructors who bring a range of disciplinary perspectives including gender studies, anthropology, human rights, epidemiology, public health, history, organizational studies, and social work. They not only bring decades of experience in menstrual research, but also have deep insights into the menstrual movement.
 

• Dr. Inga Winkler, Law Group, Wageningen University
• Dr. Janice Lazarus, Law Group, Wageningen University
• Dr. Lauren Houghton, Epidemiology, Columbia University,
• Isabela Hümmelgen, Legal Studies, Central European University
• Dr. Lara Owen, Menstruation Research Network, University of St. Andrews

Learning outcomes

After successful completion participants are expected to be able to:

• Understand menstruation as a gendered social process, and not just a biological one
• Apply a critical feminist lens to understand menstruation and its relation to gender justice in different spheres of life
• Critically assess various advocacy initiatives in the menstrual movement
• Apply a critical feminist lens to their ongoing research

Activities

Sessions with lectures & interactive learning.

• Lectures
• Interactive learning sessions
• Self study, incl. preparatory reading

Target group

• Target group: PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and advanced Master’s Students conducting research on gender justice
• Minimum 10 to maximum 30 participants
  Applicants will be asked to submit a short motivation for their participation in the summer school.

Assumed prior knowledge

Knowledge about basic feminist theories, human rights, gender justice and menstruation is appreciated.

Assessment

Reflexive exercises during several sessions of the Summer School.

Travel and accomodation

There is no course fee, but external participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation.

Cancellation conditions:

Participants can cancel their registration free of charge 1 month before the course starts. A cancellation fee of 250 euro applies if a participant cancels his/her registration less than 1 month prior to the start of the course.

The organisers have the right to cancel the course no later than one month before the planned course start date in the case that the number of registrations does not reach the minimum.

The participants will be notified of any changes at their e-mail addresses.