On gender, diversity, and feminism
Raffia is a bi-lingual – English and Dutch – online magazine that publishes articles, columns and reviews around the themes of gender, diversity and feminism. Raffia serves as a platform to read and write about these topics, predominantly for students of Radboud University, though our content appeals to a broader audience. Raffia is affiliated with Radboud Gender & Diversity Studies. We are based in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Mission
Raffia strives to be informative, intelligible, and inclusive. It is our goal to share information on and raise awareness of gender and diversity issues. We provide a platform where people can share their research, insights, opinions, experiences, art, organizations and events revolving around these topics.
History
Before Raffia became an online magazine, it was a paper magazine for 28 years. In March 1989 the Centrum voor Vrouwenstudies (Centre for Women’s Studies) of Radboud University published its first issue. Much like today, Raffia featured semi-academic articles by both students and scholars, as well as columns and reviews. Furthermore, it highlighted art pieces, emancipatory organizations, PhD promotions, news and events. The main themes were gender, feminism and emancipation. When the Centrum voor Vrouwenstudies evolved into the Institute for Gender Studies in 2005, Raffia remained an important part of its scholarly infrastructure.
In order to keep reaching our target audience, mainly consisting of students, and to reach a broader audience in general, Raffia’s editorial board decided to make the transition to an online magazine. The final paper issue was published in March 2016 and one year later the new Raffia website was launched.
In July 2016 the Institute for Genderstudies made way for Radboud Gender and Diversity Studies. Formerly the magazine was run by staff and students, but from September 2017 onwards it became a student- and alumni-led organization. Nevertheless, we remain in close cooperation with Radboud Gender and Diversity Studies.
Raffia 