In January 2024, prof em. Selma Sevenhuijsen passed away.  She was one of first professors in Gender Studies in the Netherlands and a co-founder of the Netherlands Research School of Women’s Studies in 1995, now NOG (Netherlands Research School of Gender Studies).

Selma Sevenhuijsen studied at the UvA and was one of the students who, at the time, initiated the development of feminist studies at Dutch universities. Together with Anja Meulenbelt and Joyce Outshoorn, she started and edited the series of Socialisties-Feministiese Teksten (1987-1989) [Texts in Socialist Feminism], which was published by the first Dutch feminist publisher SARA. The editors of these series brought together pioneering work by a first generation of Dutch gender studies scholars.

In 1987, Sevenhuijsen completed one of the first gender studies dissertations in the Netherlands entitled ‘The order of Fatherhood. Political debates on unwed motherhood, parentage and marriage’, a study at the cross roads of history, political science and legal studies

Selma Sevenhuijsen was appointed at Utrecht University  in 1989 as full professor of ‘Comparative Women’s Studies, with special reference to the study of living arrangements, socialization and motherhood’.

In that capacity, she served as a co-founder of the the Netherlands Research School of Women’s Studies  (Nederlandse Onderzoekschool Vrouwenstudies, also known as the NOV). In 1995, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW) officially recognized the NOV as a national research school. In this context, Selma Sevenhuijsen taught seminars on the ethics of care and introduced a whole generation of young scholars to the work of international scholars in this field.

The community of NOG remembers her contributions to the field of gender studies with gratitude and respect.

A few works by Selma Sevenhuijsen:

1978 Sevenhuijsen, Selma, Outshoorn, Joyce, en Meulenbelt, Anja (eds) Socialisties-Feministiese Teksten [Socialist-Feminist Texts] magazine 1978-1989 [Amsterdam] : Feministische Uitgeverij Sara

1987   Sevenhuijsen, Selma. “De Orde Van Het Vaderschap : Politieke Debatten Over Ongehuwd Moederschap, Afstamming En Huwelijk in Nederland 1870-1900.” Stichting Beheer I.I.S.G, 1987.

1990   Sevenhuijsen, Selma, and Rosi Braidotti. Double Trouble. Universiteit Utrecht, 1990.

1993a  Sevenhuijsen, Selma. Engendering Visions of Health Care and Medical Technology or : How Feminist Ethics Can Contribute Tot Public Discussions on the Reform of Health Care Policies. Utrecht University, 1993.

1993b  Sevenhuijsen, Selma, and Anna Maria van Schuurman Centrum (Utrecht). “Feminism and Justice Reconsidered.” Anna Maria van Schuurman Centrum, Graduate School for Advanced Research on Women’s Studies, 1993.

1998   Sevenhuijsen, Selma. Citizenship and the Ethics of Care : Feminist Considerations on Justice, Morality, and Politics. Routledge, 1998.

2000   Sevenhuijsen, Selma. De Plaats Van Zorg : Over De Relevantie Van Zorgethiek Voor Sociaal Beleid. [the place of care: relevance of ethics of care for social policy]  inaugural lectue Universiteit Utrecht, Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, Capaciteitsgroep Communicatie, Zorg En Welzijn, 2000.

2001   Sevenhuijsen, Selma, and Margreth Hoek. De Zorg Van Het Emancipatiebeleid : Een Benadering Vanuit De Zorgethiek. Universiteit Utrecht, Nederlands Genootschap Vrouwenstudies, 2001.

2008   Sevenhuijsen, Selma. De glimlach van de sirene. Reis door het Etruskisch labyrint op zoek naar de godin.[the smile of the Siren, traveling the Etruscan Labyrinth in search for the goddess]  Geesteren, A3. ISBN 9789077408490

2015 Sevenhuijsen, Selma. Queen of the Vatican: Journey in the Footsteps of Matilda of Canossa. N.p., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.

 

Jeannette van der Sanden.  Truth or dare? 15 years of women’s studies at Utrecht University. Utrecht University, 2003.