[NIS_GS:] CFP: The Future of Feminism(s) (grad) (UK) (1/9/06; 6/9/06)

Feminisms: A one-day postgraduate conference on feminism(s) in the humanities,
Sheffield Hallam University, 9th June 2006.

Feminism has become a movement of many diverse strands, being divided
or incorporated into post-colonialism, queer theory, gender studies and
cultural theory amongst others. This diversity coupled with the emergence of
post-feminism raises the issue of whether there is any room for feminism in
current academic research. Is feminism trying to move away from the derogatory
associations the term has attracted √ specifically the negative connotations
provided by the media? Or does the plurality of feminisms reflect a feminist
response to the system of opposition used to uphold phallocentrism and
repress the feminine other? How do all these feminisms, (post, third, queer
etc.) across all the many subjects in the arts, humanities and social sciences, (film, philosophy, literature, and those in the creative arts) react with/against each other? As postgraduate feminists where do we see feminism(s) in the future √ united, divided, or replaced?

This notion of multiplicity has inspired the day▓s title, ▒Feminisms,▓ and one
of the aims of this conference is to address the precarious position of feminism(s) and feminists within academia. The day is designed to offer postgraduates the opportunity to present their own research and discuss it in relation to current moves in feminist theory within the arts and cultural theory. We welcome text and/or theory based papers as well as providing the opportunity for practise-based students to discuss their work.

Suggested themes include:
Feminist texts, film/literature/art/media etc.
Feminism and its future in academia.
Feminism and its many faces: Women▓s Studies, Gender Studies, First-,
Second-,
Third-wave and Post-feminisms.
Feminism, Post-Colonialism, and Queer Theory.
Feminism, Cultural theory and Philosophy.
Representations of feminism and feminists.
Feminist voices.
Feminist (re)presentations and (re)interpretation √ including the issue of adaptation and revision.
Feminism, madness and the figure of the hysteric √ (re)examinations of Dora,
Bertha Mason as well discussions of the representations of
▒mad▓feminist
authors such as Woolf, Lamb and Plath.
(Re)readings of feminist theorists such as Cixous, Irigaray, Kristeva.
Female sexuality.
Reading the female body.

We are pleased to announce that Professor Sara Mills from the School of Cultural Studies at Sheffield Hallam University has agreed to present a keynote
address. Her research and publications are in the area of feminist post-colonial discourse theory and feminist linguistics. Her most recent publications are 'Gender and Colonial Space' (MUP, 2005), and 'Gender and Politeness' (CUP, 2005).

Please submit proposals of 300 words accompanied with your contact details,
institutional affiliation and level of study by January 9th 2006, to:
feminisms2006@yahoo.co.uk