Call For Papers on "Social Justice Feminism"

Anika Rahman, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Cincinnati College of Law's upcoming 2012 conference, “Social Justice Feminism.” 

The conference is not until October, but abstracts and panel proposals are due on April 1st. So start your brainstorming, and make sure your voice is heard on this incredibly important topic. 

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Call for Papers

“Social Justice Feminism”

University of Cincinnati College of Law

October 26-27, 2012

Keynote Speakers

Patricia Hill Collins, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland; Charles Phelps Taft Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Cincinnati

Anika Rahman, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women

The University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice seeks submissions for its upcoming 2012 conference “Social Justice Feminism.” For more information about the conference, please click here.

What is Social Justice Feminism? It is the type of work feminist activists on the ground say that they want to do. This desire for “social justice feminism” (SJF) emerged from a three-years’ long conversation among women leaders from national groups, grassroots organizations, academia, and beyond (the New Women’s Movement Initiative) who gathered to address dissonance in the women’s movement, particularly dissatisfaction with the movement’s emphasis on women privileged on account of their race, class, or sexuality. In 2010, Kristin Kalsem and Verna L. Williams of the University of Cincinnati College of Law published an article, “Social Justice Feminism,” that takes initial steps at broadly defining SJF as that which is productive, constructive, and healing. Moving from practice to theory, it suggests a new way of articulating and understanding the feminist work that is being done in this current stage of feminist jurisprudence, after the path-breaking interventions of anti-essentialism and intersectionality. The article also sets forth methodological tools for “doing social justice feminism.” 

“Social Justice Feminism” was written to advance the conversation that has already begun, both in the world of practice as evidenced by the work of the New Women’s Movement Initiative, as well as the world of feminist legal theory. To download a copy of the article click here. The upcoming conference is intended to continue and expand the conversation. We are seeking papers from academics who are interested in practice and activists who are interested in theory. Possible panels include: 

• A social justice feminist approach to women and prison 
• Critical Race Feminism and SJF
• The intersections of SJF and environmental justice
• History and reproductive justice
• New approaches to domestic violence activism
• SJF and criminal justice 

Deadline: April 1, 2012. We invite submissions of abstracts for individual papers, as well as complete panels. Send paper abstracts of no more that 500 words and a short biographical statement to lawsonmn@ucmail.uc.edu. In the subject or “re” line of your submission, please type: SJF conference submission. Include your full contact information, including an email, phone number, and mailing address where you can be reached. We will notify presenters of selected papers by June 1, 2012.

We look forward to your submissions. If you have any questions, please contact Professor Kristin Kalsem at kristin.kalsem@uc.edu