Roberta Salper Career
After years working as one of the forefront activists for the University of Pittsburgh's Women's Liberation Movement, Roberta Salper has decided to leave the university for San Diego State. In her reasons for leaving, which many at the time considered to be a demotion, she stated that the univeristy seemed to be relatively stagnant in their efforts in developing the new program, referring to their movements as tokenism rather than actual change.
Within her career and involvement in political and civil activist groups, Roberta Salper published her knowledge in two books. "Domestic Subversive: A Feminist's Take on the Left 1960-1976" is a memoir focused on the development of political movements and uprising in the 1960's through the 1970's, ranging from liberation struggles in developing countries to government surveillence in the United States. "Female Liberation: History and Current Politics" gives an overview on the development of women's liberation and social change, using the method of historical critique to show what the current notions of female oppression are.
Roberta Salper was heavily involved in both the political and academic fields throughout her career. With a large focus on how socialism could transform the field of academia, Roberta sought to join the academic sphere with the community, by removing the inherent hierarchies prevalent in the corportae-dominated university system, and use the developments of academia to influence social change on a large scale. Her involvement with organizations such as the Pittsburgh NOW chapter and the New University Conference (NUC), as well as her position as a nationally recognized speaker, helped develop crucial social change in both the univeristy setting, and nationwide.