Maya Cohen-Ronen

Your time at the University  

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Born by the Mediterranean Sea, my husband and I got married in Edinburgh in 1999 and had our honeymoon travelling around Scotland. We fell in love with the country, its breath-taking beauty, the lovable accents, the rich history and culture. So, when time came to be picking a university to study at for our postgraduate degrees, Edinburgh was an easy choice.

We returned to Edinburgh in 2001. My experience of the University, the city of Edinburgh and Scotland in general was superb. The city’s unique vibe is without parallel. Old and new are meshed together perfectly. A city so rich in art, music and culture, there is never shortage of things to do.

Our Gender and Society team was small, only the three of us. Elaine, our Convenor, was wonderfully supportive. It was intimate, intense and empowering. We were encouraged to question everything, to doubt societal truths, to challenge norms.

I chose to study my postgraduate degree in Gender and Society (already holding a BA in Communication and Management) due to my strong feminist identity, and my eagerness to broaden my understanding of what it means to me, what it means to other communities, what it meant historically, and what it might mean in the future. To me, being a feminist and supporting broader concepts of human equality was always a matter of ethical course. It is possible that this state of mind, carefully nurtured by the University of Edinburgh, was the fertile ground that allowed the broadening of my rights-based approach beyond the human animal. For, does it truly matter if the female whose sexual organs are perpetually exploited is a human or a bovine? It shouldn’t matter. Abuse is abuse, regardless of species. We are all Earthlings. I have become an animal rights activist and vegan, along with my husband and children.

​​​​​​​To me, being a feminist and supporting broader concepts of human equality was always a matter of ethical course.

Maya Cohen-Ronen