Clough co-leads the Peace Literacy Institute, an initiative to reframe how peace is taught in educational settings.
Dr. Sharyn Clough
By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - January 15, 2025
Dr. Sharyn Clough, a professor in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion, bridges the gap between feminist scholarship, the philosophy of science, and peace studies. Her research challenges long-standing conventions in both science and society, all while fostering a vision of peace as a tangible, teachable skill through the Peace Literacy Institute, which she helps lead.
Clough’s focus on philosophy and feminist scholarship began unexpectedly during her undergraduate years. “I actually started out as an undergrad in psychology,” she recalled, initially drawn to the field's questions about complex phenomena such as religious experiences. However, some of the reductive methods she encountered in experimental psychology in the 80s—such as using rats to explore human desires and motivations—drew her attention to some of the cultural norms of scientific practices. Her honors thesis became an investigation into the ways scientific methodology could be influenced by societal values. She then completed a master’s degree, this time engaging with the psychological study of religion from within a religious studies program. It soon became clear that her real interest concerned the philosophical elements of scientific methodology and in her doctoral work she began to focus on the gendered dimensions of scientific objectivity.
Clough’s feminist perspective made her question whether science's traditional methods were as neutral and objective as they claimed. Was there something inherently patriarchal about the scientific fixation on objectivity? While initially captivated by this notion, Clough eventually concluded that the problem was not objectivity itself, but the narrow ways in which it was applied. For example, she thinks we can and should expand the notion of objectivity to apply not only to facts but also to values. She has since spent two decades arguing that, in certain contexts, incorporating feminist values can make science not only more ethical but more objective and empirically accurate.
One of her more notable contributions came in 2011 when she published "Gender and the hygiene hypothesis." The hygiene hypothesis is a scientific theory linking increased rates of autoimmune disorders in urban environments to modern sanitation practices. Applying a feminist lens, Clough hypothesized that gendered child-rearing practices—such as discouraging girls from playing in the dirt—could be contributing to findings that a number of autoimmune diseases turn up more often in women than men. Her approach, which added overlooked data from feminist sociology into the scientific conversation, offered new insights for research that traditional perspectives had missed.
Beyond her academic achievements, Clough’s dedication to peace studies reflects her commitment to applying philosophical insights to real-world problems. In partnership with colleagues Linda Richards and Joseph Orosco, Clough began to contribute to OSU’s peace studies certificate program. Central to her efforts was the introduction of Peace Literacy, a concept brought to OSU by activist and educator Paul K. Chappell. Peace Literacy redefines peace as a set of practical, teachable skills rather than an abstract ideal. For Clough, this work marked a turning point. She transitioned from engaging primarily in scholarly debates about science and values, to leading public philosophy initiatives about the peace skills needed by scientists and all of us to engage in challenging debates about science policy, reaching out to students, educators, and communities to cultivate Peace Literacy at every level of education.
Peace Literacy, as Clough explains, is particularly relevant in today’s polarized political and social climate. It involves teaching people how to navigate conflicts with empathy and understanding—skills often missing from public discourse. Through the Peace Literacy Institute, Clough and her colleagues work with teachers and schools across the U.S. and Canada to integrate Peace Literacy into K-12 education as well as higher education. Peace Literacy training equips teachers and students with the tools to recognize behaviors such as aggression as signs of distress, fostering a compassionate approach to classroom management and student engagement.
Clough’s interdisciplinary approach—spanning feminist philosophy, the philosophy of science, and peace studies—combines intellectual rigor with practical application; an approach increasingly important amid today's social, political, and environmental crises. Her work reminds us that the values we bring to our academic and social efforts shape not only our understanding of the world but also our ability to transform it for the better.