Eight songs that ‘inspire inclusion’ on International Women’s Day

Faculty members of the USask Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) Program in the College of Arts and Science were asked to provide their song recommendations to commemorate International Women’s Day.

The songs reflect this year’s theme, “Inspiring Inclusion.”  To inspire inclusion means to show solidarity across race, gender identity, age, ability, faith and body image. 

These recommendations form a 25-minute playlist that can be found on Spotify. Read about why some of the songs were chosen.

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Dr. Rachel Loewen Walker (PhD) is an assistant professor and program director of the WGST program in the Department of Political Studies. Her recommendation is “32 Flavors” by Ani Difranco.

What she said about this song:

“I discovered Ani Difranco’s music when I was 14 and it opened me up to an entire world of feminist and folk musicians who were writing about social justice, women’s rights, and queer relationships. This world of music made me feel like I belonged to a future beyond the small town that I grew up in and it actually influenced me to take gender studies classes so that I could better understand that future!”

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Dr. Marie Lovrod (PhD) is an associate professor and graduate chair of WGST at USask. Her recommendations kick off with a song strongly associated with International Women’s Day.

“One song that leaps to mind is Judy Collins’ version of ‘Bread and Roses,’ which has had a long association with International Women’s Day. The next song comes from an album called, ‘The Other Side” by Sweet Honey in the Rock—a fabulous acapella group that has been rocking civil rights for 50 years.”

Lovrod added context for another recommendation:

“Given the current situation for queer kids in Saskatchewan, here is K.D. Lang’s challenge to the coercions of binary gender: ‘Nowhere to Stand.”

She finished the playlist with “a last word to Eekwol’s ‘I Will Not Be Conquered,’” available for listening on YouTube.

Explore all of WGST’s song recommendations for International Women’s Day via the curated playlist on Spotify.

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