Rest as resistance in the feminist classroom? Un/learning to teach after trauma

Abstract

In this essay, I reflect on my teaching practice within gender studies from the position of a senior academic in Flanders, Belgium. In an auto-ethnographical way, I examine how personal crisis, broader institutional pressures, and pedagogical commitments have shaped my current approach to teaching. I begin by analysing the Covid-19 pandemic as a pivotal moment that affected both my personal life and my role as an educator. I then situate these experiences within a decade of establishing, running, and teaching in an interdisciplinary Master’s programme in Gender and Diversity. Finally, I reflect on my recent reintegration into academic work following a period of absence and offer insights from a newly developed course. I suggest that crisis, trauma, and rest – individually and collectively – can open possibilities for healing, connection, resilience, and resistance in the feminist classroom, particularly within a field that is increasingly contested and vulnerable.