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Joan Mary Smith Welch (May 6, 1936 – September 10, 2004), known professionally as Joan Smith, was an American feminist author and scholar in the field of socio-economics. Smith's primary research held specialized interest in economic processes and labor force issues, and was best known for her academic contributions addressing domestic and international equity concerns.[1] She was dean and educator at the University of Vermont until the time of her death. [2]

Background[edit]

Personal Life[edit]

Joan Mary Heaney was born in 1936 to parents Hugh Heaney and Alice Heaney.[3] She grew up alongside her two brothers, Patrick and Robert, in a working-class Irish neighborhood in Chicago, IL.[4] Smith married Peter F. Welch, American attorney and politician, in 1976. Welch and Smith had five children together: Beth, Mary, William, John and Michael.[4] Smith went back to school after experiencing a political awakening during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.[3]

Shortly after 1995 Smith was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma, and underwent treatment until her death on September 10, 2004. [1]

Education[edit]

Smith graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Roosevelt University in 1967.[1] She attended graduate school at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and received a Masters Degree of Sociology in 1969.[1] In 1970, she went back to school to earn a PhD in sociology from New York University.[1]

Academia[edit]

Career[edit]

Smith had a long and successful career in academia, which began after joining the faculty of Dartmouth College at the conclusion of her post-doctoral degree. From 1979 to 1990 Smith taught sociology at Queens College where she formed a friendship with peer contemporary sociologist, Immanuel Wallerstein, [4] whom she collaborated and co-authored a book with in 1984.

Smith was offered the position as the first director of the Women's Studies Department at the University of Vermont in 1990. [4] In 1995 she was appointed Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Vermont, and in 1996 she was the first women to be appointed Dean within the college's institutional history.[2]. She remained in the position until her death.

Smith was recognized for implementing and facilitating the college's first diversity and equity programming with the ALANA Coalition; developing honors programs for undergraduate students; advocating for equitable compensation and merit among her faculty[5]

Academic Contributions
Year Title Journal Vol. No. Contributors ISSN
1975 The Failure of Functionalism Philosophy of the Social Sciences 5 1 - 00483931
1985 Men and Women at Play: Gender, Life-Cycle and Leisure The Sociological Review 33 1 - 00380261
1988 When Work Doesn't Work: The Failure of Current Welfare Reform Gender & Society 12 1 Elaine McCrate 08912432
1988 Economic Restructuring, Household Strategies, and Gender: A Case Study of a Rural Community Feminist Studies 24 1 Margaret K. Nelson 00463663
1999 Youth Homelessness in the UK: A European Perspective Habitat International 23 1 - 01973975
2002 Women and Homelessness in Europe: Pathways, Services and Experiences Urban Studies 29 8 - 00420980
2002 Fast Forward: Work, Gender, and Protest in a Changing World American Journal of Sociology 108 3 - 00029602

Bibliography[edit]

Smith was an accomplished writer outside of her career. In addition to her academic contributions, Smith authored and co-authored several books related to gendered socio-economic issues. Smith also assisted in publishing a statewide women's resource guide in Vermont, USA[5].

Authored
Year Title ISBN
1981 Social Issues and the Social Order: The Contradictions of Capitalism 9780876268131
1988 Racism, Sexism, and the World-System 9780313263316
1992 Creating and Transforming Households: The Constraints of the World Economy 9780511520860
Co-Authored
Year Title Co-Author(s) IBSN
1974 The Uses of the American Prison: Political Theory and Penal Practice William Fried 9780669927757
1984 Households and the World Economy Immanuel Wallerstein, Hans Dieter-Evers 9780803922907
1999 Hard Work and Making Do: Labor Mobilization in Rural Areas Margaret K. Nelson 9780520215757

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Smith, Joan 1935-2004 | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  2. ^ a b "Joan Smith, 70, dean at University of Vermont - The Boston Globe". archive.boston.com. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  3. ^ a b "Joan Mary Smith Welch". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  4. ^ a b c d "Joan Smith, Archive". University of Vermont. Retrieved 2021-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b "UVM Mourns the Loss of Dean Joan Smith". The Vermont Cynic. Retrieved 2021-04-15.