As President of the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship, I write in support of Dr. Anne Simon and ask that you reconsider the proposal to make redundant Dr. Simon’s position as Senior Lecturer in the Department of German. The international out-cry thus far speaks to the caliber of Dr. Simon’s work, even as the upset of students and colleagues demonstrate her many contributions to the University of Bristol. Foremost, in co-founding the Center for Medieval Studies, Dr. Simon has done us all a great service. CMS has a valued reputation among scholars world-wide, in no small part because of its investment in international exchange. As one indication of its position as a medieval center, CMS will host the International Arthurian Society conference in late July. Clearly, the vitality of this center is a result of the energies of its faculty and the engagement of its students. The Faculty of Arts, moreover, have indicated that the study of Medieval Cultures is one of five themes selected as research priorities for the next five years. It is hard, then, to understand how one could consider redundant a researcher and teacher who has contributed so much to the success of CMS and to the study of medieval cultures at Bristol. Dr. Simon’s dedication to teaching courses that support CMS and her organization of study abroad trips for students are but two illustrations of her investment in the growth of medieval studies at Bristol. This investment is clearly a sound one, as the many students who have championed Dr. Simon’s case have stressed. Second, that the Department of German could opt to focus on modem Germany alone is staggering. It would be the equivalent of saying that there is no need to study medieval or ancient Britain, no need to think about life in England before the Reformation. Yet, we value historical inquiry for the insights it provides both about the past and about the present, even as we need them to shape our future. Surely historical German studies are vital to the present and future of the European collective and the place of the UK within it? After all, the history of Anglo-Saxon England is tied directly to the history of Germany. The logic of the decision to make Dr. Simon’s position redundant, therefore, is not apparent. Many have wondered if the decision is because of Dr. Simon’s research on women and gender studies. This conclusion hardly seems possible, given the value of social history in contemporary humanist studies. The knowledge gained because we now interrogate the past and its structures of power not only improves our understanding of pre-modern societies but also allows us to trace the continuities and discontinuities to the present. A second conclusion of the proposal to terminate Dr. Simon is that administrators at the University of Bristol do not support the promotion of female researchers or scholars who work in women’s and gender studies. Indeed, an examination of the scholars in the Faculty of Arts (as shown on your campus web pages) illustrates that only 15% of the full professors are female, a disproportionate representation. Of the five, only one produces scholarship regularly on women and gender. It is deeply troubling to think that an institution as prominent as the University of Bristol might be actively working against the advancement of women in the professoriate. To the outsider, the targeting of Dr. Simon’s position suggests a decided bias against women and against the study of women and gender. On behalf of the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship, I urge you to reconsider this decision and avoid the conclusions such an action provokes. There is far more to be gained by keeping Dr. Simon on the faculty and supporting her work, even as you reward her for her productive service as a researcher and teacher.
Yours, Virginia Blanton
Associate Chair, Department of English
President, Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship
Department of English, CH 106
University of Missouri-Kansas City
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110

http://hosted.lib.uiowa.edu/smfs/mff/history.html