CFP – Critical Feminist Pedagogies: Towards an Education of Activism

From the FLP mailbox, this call for papers:

Southern Connecticut State University Women’s Studies Program presents the 9th Annual Graduate Conference

Critical Feminist Pedagogies: Towards an Education of Activism

Saturday, October 29, 2011

What is “feminist” education? How do you as a social justice activist, teacher, artist, musician, poet, or environmentalist educate others about issues you feel passionate about? The institutionalization of feminism through Women’s Studies undoubtedly affects feminist activism in the non-academic world (and vice versa: grassroots feminism is the foundation of Women’s Studies). We aim to maintain the bridge between academia and grassroots activism by inviting everyone!

What issues do you as a feminist feel a passion teaching others about? What methods do you use to communicate to an audience? What are the teacher’s and students’ roles in feminist or progressive spaces? How ought an activist or teacher work with the power they have over an audience of learners to allow for an effective space for critical thinking about justice? Does “raising awareness” and publishing books or articles actually change structural problems? Can feminist education even be considered “action” if it ends at “raising awareness” without actually dismantling oppressive systems? What might be some suggestions of feminist action for best practices?

This conference attempts to detangle the tricky and creative work that is “feminist” education and to bring activists and critical thinkers/educators together to share our visions of feminist pedagogy. We are interested in how you as community activists, students, artists, educators, and future-educators encourage critical thinking and enthusiasm in learners. We want to share our passions, talents, and skills through syllabi, curriculum, and workshops.

We invite individuals, activists, groups, artists, scholars, and educators to submit proposals for panel presentations, roundtable discussions, or artistic performances that address the following questions:

– Critiques of empowerment as a mode of feminist education

– What is the relationship between feminist pedagogy and indoctrination? Can consciousness-raising be a form of indoctrination? How would feminist education function beyond consciousness-raising?

– What makes for strategic feminist practice within a group (beyond sitting in circles and hearing everyone’s voice—what is explicitly/implicitly feminist about this)?

– To what extent can experience-sharing be productively used in Women’s Studies settings?

– Access to education as a feminist issue; inclusion/exclusion of certain groups

– How might intersectionality (race, ethnicity, nationality, class, gender, sexuality, ability, environmental issues) be used as a tool for activism or education?

– How can we continue to challenge the academic industrial complex?

– What are the tensions between students, students and teachers, academics and grassroots activists and how might these tensions be used pedagogically/productively?

– Others (You are highly encouraged to come up with your own topic!

Additional information is here.

-Bridget Crawford