Activism and the Academy

Forty years ago, the Barnard Center for Research on Women began its mission of using research and knowledge to advance feminist scholarship and long-term partnerships with activist groups. Inspired by the new women’s movement, BCRW became part of an historic moment that witnessed the proliferation of feminist activism, the establishment of women’s studies programs and women’s centers, and the founding of women’s bookstores and other cultural projects. This fall, we bring together our past, present and future collaborators as well as kindred institutions, scholars and activists engaged in social justice feminism to consider what kinds of collaborative projects are possible when scholarship and activism are joined.

Register online at bcrw.barnard.edu.

The anniversary conference will also include a special reception with a performance by Suzanne Vega ’81and remarks from Janet Axelrod ’73, as well as keynote lectures by Sonia Alvarez and Mamphela Ramphele.

Including speakers:
Lila Abu-Lughod (Columbia University)
Penelope Andrews (CUNY School of Law)
Leslie Calman (The Mautner Project)
Yvette Christiansë (Barnard College)
Lisa Duggan (New York University)
Rabab El Mahdi (American University in Cairo)
Amber Hollibaugh (Queers for Economic Justice)
Temma Kaplan (Rutgers University)
Christine Karumba (Women for Women International – Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Sydnie L. Mosley ’07 (dancer, choreographer and teacher)
Nancy Naples (University of Connecticut)
Ana Oliveira (New York Women’s Foundation)
Ann Pellegrini (New York University)
Ai-jen Poo (National Domestic Workers Alliance)
Margaret Randall (poet and activist)
Rinku Sen (Applied Research Center)
Dean Spade ’97 (Seattle University School of Law)
Mandy Van Deven (activist and writer)
Jamia Wilson (Women’s Media Center)

and with panels on:
Expanding Feminism: Collaborations for Social Justice
Building and Rebuilding Societies in Africa
The Multiple Futures of Gender and Sexuality Studies
Writing, New Media, and Feminist Activism
Living and Working in the Borderlands
Women’s Literature and Feminist Learning
Archives and Activism: the Contemporary Turn
Transnational Feminisms Across the Americas
Social Justice and Civic Engagement in the Classroom
Using Knowledge, Advancing Activism
Academic / Activist Partnerships in Mexico
Campus Activism
Activist Research: Working in Communities
The Feminist Ethnographer’s Dilemma

Please visit the conference website for online registration and detailed program information, including a full list of speakers and discussions.