This paper explores alternative approaches to feminist education, discussing co-creational teaching strategies and emphasising shared accountability for what happens in the classroom space. In this paper, co-creational education refers to teaching strategies which position teachers and learners as partners in the pedagogical process, challenging top-down approaches and emphasising self-reflexivity as well as adaptability. The study focuses on Gender Studies classrooms, and more specifically on the experiences of those involved in the GEMMA Master’s Degree in Women’s and Gender Studies, a postgraduate programme operating across seven European universities. The data was collected through interviews with students and lecturers in this programme, discussing how collective practices have been introduced into the courses, and analysing the perceived outcomes (including both the successes and challenges). Additionally, there is a focus on future possibilities and re-imagining, inviting ongoing work to unsettle the current individualistic and output-focused academic culture within European institutions. The study places particular emphasis on decolonial teaching which seeks to disrupt power structures in academia by confronting gender, class and race divides and analysing how these inequalities are perpetuated through pedagogical practices. In doing this, I argue that there is a need to push both students and teachers outside of their comfort zones, embracing discomfort and ambiguity and using these as a catalyst for self-reflection and action. I also question how we can learn about gender and tackle complex social problems in a way which does not reproduce conventional hierarchies of power and which encourages both collectivity and innovation. Ultimately, the paper is presented as a starting point for discussion and a call for further engagement.
