Call for Papers–University of Baltimore School of Law Sixth Annual Feminist Legal Theory Conference

CALL FOR PAPERS: “APPLIED FEMINISM AND FAMILIES”

The University of Baltimore School of Law’s Center on Applied Feminism seeks submissions for its Sixth Annual Feminist Legal Theory Conference. This year’s theme is “Applied Feminism and Families.” The conference will be held on March 7 and 8, 2013. For more information about the conference, please visit law.ubalt.edu/caf.

This conference seeks to explore how feminist legal theory affects families in the United States and abroad. We are interested in including both family law experts and experts who consider issues facing families from other legal perspectives. Papers might explore the following questions: What have been the accomplishments or shortcomings of feminist legal theory for families? How might feminist legal theory respond to the challenges facing families? What sort of support should society and law provide to families? Does feminist legal theory support state interventions into family life? In what circumstances? How do law and feminist legal theory conceptualize the roles of family members, including mothers, fathers, caretakers, children, and others? How does feminist legal theory help us understand changes in the institution of marriage and family structure? How do the needs of families vary across cultural, economic, religious, and other differences? Are theories of essentialism and intersectionality necessary or helpful in shaping laws that impact families? In what areas outside of family law could or should feminist legal theory be applied to assist families?
This conference will attempt to address these and other questions from the perspectives of activists, practitioners, and academics. The conference will provide an opportunity for participants and audience members to exchange ideas about the current state of feminist legal theories. We hope to deepen our understandings of how feminist legal theory relates to families and to move new insights into practice. In addition, the conference is designed to provide presenters with the opportunity to gain feedback on their papers.
The conference will begin the afternoon of Thursday, March 7, 2013, with a workshop for conference participants. This workshop will continue the annual tradition of involving all attendees as participants in an interactive discussion and reflection. On Friday March 8, 2013, the conference will continue with a day of presentations by legal academics, practitioners and activists regarding current scholarship and/or legal work that explores the application of feminist legal theory to issues involving families. The conference will be open to the public and will feature a keynote speaker. Past keynote speakers have included Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, Dr. Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Sheryl WuDunn, and Senator Barbara Mikulski.
To submit a paper proposal, please submit an abstract by 5 p.m. on October 26, 2012, to Professor Michele Gilman at mgilman@ubalt.edu. In the subject or “re” line of your submission, you must type: CAF conference submission. It is essential that your abstract contain your full contact information, including an email, phone number, and mailing address where you can be reached. Abstracts should be no longer than one page. Practitioners’ and activists’ papers need not follow a strictly academic format, but all paper proposals should address the conference theme. We will notify presenters of selected papers in mid-November. We anticipate being able to have twelve paper presenters during the conference on Friday, March 8, 2013. All working drafts of papers will be due no later than February, 15, 2013. All abstracts and drafts will be posted on the Center on Applied Feminism’s conference website to be shared with other participants and attendees.
In addition, the University of Baltimore Law Review has agreed to offer publication to a few of the selected papers presented at the conference for an issue dedicated to the conference proceedings. If you are interested in submitting your abstract for consideration by the UB Law Review, please indicate as such on your abstract submission. To be eligible for publication in the UB Law Review, submissions must not be published elsewhere. Typically, the UB Law Review publishes pieces ranging from 25 to 45 pages in length, using 12 point times new roman font and one inch margins. One volume of the Law Review is dedicated to papers from this annual symposium.
We look forward to your submissions. If you have further questions, please contact Prof. Michele Gilman at mgilman@ubalt.edu.