A tribute to Dr. Agnes E.M. Verbiest

In celebrating this day of women and girls in Science (https://www.womeninscienceday.org/) I realise how much pressure exists on the freedom of academic research in general.
Now, the CDC is ordering mass retraction and withdrawal of any research papers submitted to academic journals by its scientists that contain a list of supposed “DEI words” including, “LGBT,” “transgender,” and even simply “gender.”

After COVID the rage against academic research became more open. However, research related to the general trust in academic research seems to be very high and constant over the years. https://www.rathenau.nl/nl/wetenschap-cijfers/impact/vertrouwen-de-wetenschap/vertrouwen-de-wetenschap.

I want to pay a tribute to a woman who managed to be a centre of a household and at the same time an important academic in Gender Linguistics at the University of Leiden.
In 1987 Agnes Verbiest added in her dissertation “Confrontatie in Conversaties” a descriptive component in the pragma-dialectical conversation analysis of van Eemeren en Grootendorst (UvA).
Agnes realised impact with her article “Vrouwentaal en vooronderstellingen” (1981) but became international well known via her gender linguistic research at the University of Leiden.

Her contribution to science as a discipline to be trusted started with her popular-scientific books on Gender linguistics with titles as: “Het gewicht van de directrice, taal over, tegen, door vrouwen” (Publisher Contact,1991) or “De Oorbellen van de Minister” (Publisher Contact, 1997).
In her presentation she fought for the liberation of women in general and with her academic specialisation in language we use daily particularly.
She did put a lot of effort for the good cause in sharing her research-findings in a way non academics could understand her cause. Her presence was modest and friendly but always with her objective in mind: Women liberation.

In Leiden Agnes was popular as a lecturer and as a Master thesis supervisor.  A couple of old students of her they shouted with enthusiasm her name when I named Agnes.

My mother learned me the unconsciously huge impact of language in the perception of the gender stereotypes in the world. I thank her with all my heart that she insisted to keep warning her three sons in the right usage of language.

Happy to still have her with me in this world!