The American Anthropological Association’s Committee on Gender Equity in Anthropology (CoGEA) has honored Dr. Peggy Reeves Sanday (U Penn) with the 2015 CoGEA Award for her numerous contributions to the fight for gender equality.
Dr. Sanday is a pioneer in the study of gender-based violence, in particular the study of campus rape. Dr. Sanday’s scholarly contributions over the last 40 years have had an enormous impact on the cross-cultural study of gender inequality and have shaped the way that social science and society at large address the issues of rape and sexual assault.
In addition to honoring scholars who work to end discrimination against women in anthropology, the CoGEA Award has recognized individuals who have helped to bring about significant shifts in intellectual paradigms through their anthropological research on women’s lives.
“Since the 1970s Peggy has spoken out in favor of those who are discriminated against,” said Dr. Sanday’s U Penn colleague Dr. Sandra Barnes. “She believed strongly that anthropologists should make their voices heard in the public sphere and that they should contribute to the collective good of their society.”
Dr. Sanday is the author of a number of ground breaking works including “The Socio-Cultural Context of Rape,” which established the paradigm for explaining the occurrence and context of rape cross-culturally. Dr. Sanday’s books, Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Brotherhood and Privilege on Campus and A Woman Scorned: Acquaintance Rape on Trial, have also been highly influential in the field of Public Interest Anthropology, inspiring new generations of feminist student activists.
Dr. Sanday will be honored at the 114th AAA Annual Meeting in Denver this November.
