The Politics and Practice of Contemporary Feminism Across Academic
and Activist Communities
A conference hosted by the Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
March 23 -24, 2007
Stata Center, MIT Campus
Cambridge, MA
Submission Deadline is February 16, 2007. Spread the word!
Conference is *FREE* and open to the public. To register, please
email gcws
mit [ punto ] edu (gcws[at]mit[dot]edu) <mailto:gcwsmit [ punto ] edu (gcws[at]mit[dot]edu)>
Please find the conference abstract below. Further information about
the conference or call for proposals is available online at
http://web.mit.edu/gcws
Conference Abstract:
This cutting edge conference grows out of our interest as academics
and activists to understand the relationship between practice,
experience, and theory. Theories of race, multiculturalism, Marxism,
postcolonialism, and feminism ground work in Women's and Gender
Studies - we will consider what realities these theories address (or
ignore), what praxis they strengthen (or fail to), what communities
they reach, and which they may leave behind. Is the grassroots and
activist sentiment inspiring these concepts trumped by the
theoretical vocabulary used to describe them? Do the pressures of
academies and institutions limit the execution of diverse expressions
of feminism in the classroom and on the ground?
In dynamic conversations and strategy sessions we will confront the
multiple ways our identities as community members, academics,
activists, and/or researchers inform the ways in which we conduct our
work and share our knowledge. From here, we will address and
question the real and imagined boundaries between activism and
academia, reflecting positive collaboration and empowering
relationships across multiple fields.
Possible submission topics can include but are not limited to the
list of possible themes below. Historic and Contemporary, Domestic
and International interpretations are welcome. The focus is Women\'s
and Gender Studies and Activism and is inclusive of related fields:
how about changing the order and adding the following: Critical Race
Theory, Queer Studies, Food Justice, Art, Media Studies, Labor
Organizing, Comparative Studies, Inequality Studies,
Environmentlaism, etc.
Mainstream Perceptions of the "F" word: Uses, Abuses, Alternatives
and Reclamations
The Past, Present, and Future of the Post-Gender, Post-Race, Techno-
Feminist Third Wave
Deconstructing Deconstruction: The Role of Theory in Activism and
Everyday Life
Culture-hacking: Social and Political Intervention in the \'Tower\' and
on the Ground
Systematizing Knowledge: Interrogating Access and Privilege in Education
Radical Pedagogy: Thinking and Doing Feminism in Research, Education,
and Community Organizing
Building Alliances Between Academic and Activist Communities
Conducting Research Outside of the Academy
Research as Activism/Activism as Research
We welcome proposals for individual presentations and full panels
that address these broadly drawn questions from activist, scholarly,
theoretical and grassroots perspectives, especially those that
consider more than one. We seek to represent a range of
methodologies, including self-reflective practice, activist inquiry,
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In dynamic conversations and strategy sessions we will confront the
multiple ways our identities as community members, academics,
activists, and/or researchers inform the ways in which we conduct our
work and share our knowledge. From here, we will address and
question the real and imagined boundaries between activism and
academia, reflecting positive collaboration and empowering
relationships across multiple fields.
