In 2002, The National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) and the Center for the Study of Women and Society (CSWS) at the CUNY Graduate Center received a three-year grant from the Rockefeller Foundation Humanities Fellowship Program to explore the intersections of globalization, citizenship, human rights, gender, and agency.

The program: Facing Global Capital, Finding Human Security: A Gendered Critique, examined what constitutes a human security framework at this historic moment, and the ways such a framework shape policy priorities and address the challenges women and girls face under globalizing conditions in different parts of the world. The program also explored ways that activists can use a human security framework to lobby for women’s rights; to end sex discrimination and violence; and for better living conditions for women and girls.

Following a year of planning, ten resident Fellows, over two years had the opportunity to examine in depth their own experiences through research, study, and interaction with other scholars, activists, and policymakers. They participated in a biweekly interdisciplinary seminar (in English in New York City) with other academics, policymakers and activists as well as other meetings and various site visits to NCRW member centers, NGOs, and UN agencies. Fellows presented their analyses and work to the seminar and in other public forums.

The program was directed by Linda Basch, President of NCRW; Patricia Clough, Director of CSWS, and Kristen Timothy, NCRW Senior Research Scholar.