Dr. Flora Oswald received her dual PhD in in Social Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Penn State. Dr. Oswald’s program of research focuses broadly on liberation through a feminist lens, with specific areas of interest including: liberating marginalized group members from health disparities through a focus on social determinants of health; fat liberation and upward resistance among fat people; abolitionist politics and liberation from carceral systems; and sexual liberation, particularly liberating marginalized group members from systems of sexualized violence.
Women's and Gender Studies major Sierra Perry sat down with new faculty member Dr. Flora Oswald for an interview regarding her research areas.
I see your research focuses broadly on liberation through a feminist lens. What made you interested in those studies?
"I began my career in pure sexuality research, with my early work focused on sexuality generally rather than through a feminist lens specifically. Over time, as I examined the impact of stigma on health outcomes, particularly related to sexuality, my focus expanded. I started thinking about various forms of oppression, including sexual stigma, fatphobia, and incarceration. My research shifted toward understanding how these oppressions influence people's well-being. Ultimately, I embraced a broader lens of liberation to address multiple systems of oppression simultaneously, rather than tackling them individually. I found this liberation-focused approach to be the most effective and generalizable way to disrupt these interconnected systems.”
What guidance would you offer to students interested in or pursuing research in the areas of social determinants of health, abolition, stigma, sexualized violence, and social perception that you wish you had known when you first started?
“I emphasize the importance of actively seeking or creating research opportunities, even if they aren't readily available. Reflecting on my own experience attending a small teaching-focused institution in Canada with no research labs or faculty engaged in research, I stress that students shouldn't wait for opportunities to come to them. Instead, I encourage them to reach out to researchers whose work they admire, noting that academics appreciate hearing from people who are inspired by their work. My advice is to start building connections as early as possible—whether by emailing researchers, engaging in research, or finding other ways to get involved. I am actively seeking graduate and undergraduate mentees/research assistants -- my email is floswald@sc.edu! ”
Your work focuses on feminist methodologies, philosophies of science, and meta-science, particularly in relation to the open science movement. How do you see feminist approaches contributing to or reshaping the open science movement?
“I believe feminist approaches could significantly contribute to reshaping the Open Science movement, though there are challenges. While Open Science aims to promote transparency, accessibility, and replicability, it often assumes that all research can follow these practices, which may not be the case for feminist research. Feminist methods aren't fully supported by the current structure of Open Science. I argue that feminist approaches, such as collaboration could enrich Open Science, but the movement has not fully embraced these contributions. To foster change, I suggest a disruption in the power structures of Open Science and greater inclusion of feminist voices—not just extracting feminist knowledge, but genuinely integrating feminist researchers into the conversation.”
In what ways can feminist critiques help address potential biases in scientific research and data sharing practices within this movement?
“I believe feminist critiques can play a crucial role in addressing biases in scientific research and data sharing practices. They highlight gaps in the Open Science movement, especially regarding how it deals with qualitative research and the ethical concerns of marginalized groups. Feminist perspectives have already begun to reshape open science by fostering discussions on how to engage with open science principles—like transparency and data sharing—in ways that protect participants' safety and address ethical concerns. I've noticed that special issues of journals, such as Psychology of Women Quarterly, have started important conversations about how to reconcile feminist research with open science practices. However, I think more work is needed to tackle broader structural issues in open science, particularly around accessibility. Current systems of data sharing, pre-registration, and research dissemination may not fit well with qualitative research, complicating how findings can be shared and who can access them. My view is that feminist critiques are especially important at the structural level, as they challenge power dynamics and advocate for making knowledge more accessible to the public, rather than restricting it to those within academic institutions. Feminist approaches, in my opinion, can help reshape these systems to ensure that open science aligns more closely with ethical and equitable practices.”
We thank Dr. Oswald for sharing her insights with us for this interview. Her work has shed valuable light on these important issues, and she continues to provide thoughtful perspectives on these topics and others. We look forward to seeing how her research continues to impact the field and inspire future conversations.