About us

The Institute, established in 1978, is an integral part of life at Concordia University and the broader Montréal community. The Institute is a college of Concordia University, dedicated to studying the conditions of women's lives. Each year, the Institute offers a variety of exciting courses that explore the historical and contemporary aspects of women's oppression and resistance.

Our Mission

The Institute strives to stimulate the investigation, understanding and communication of the historical and contemporary roles of women in society, and to encourage women to develop their full creative potential.

Our Approach

The SdBI is the oldest and one of the most innovative places in Canada to do feminist studies and to develop initiatives that promote equality and social justice for all. At the SdBI, we approach the study of feminisms in ways that extend beyond the mere study of the conditions of women's lives. As Angela Davis (2008) plainly puts it, feminism is not only about women and not only about gender. It is a broader methodology that can enable us to better conceptualize and fight for progressive change. At the heart of our approach is the understanding that social inequality is produced through interlocking systems of oppression and that the State, nationalism and imperialism are central in producing and sustaining asymmetrical power relations such as those between men and women or those between people in the global north and those in the global south. We also consider the social production of identities and differences and critically examine media representations and consumer cultures.