The UCLA Center for the Study of Women|Barbra Streisand Center is pleased to announce its 34th annual Thinking Gender Graduate Student Research Conference, taking place from February 28 to March 1, 2024. This year's theme, "Dystopian Realities, Feminist Utopias," delves into the complex interplay between our current world, marked by racial capitalism, settler colonialism, and neoliberalism, and the imaginative realms of feminist, queer, and BIPOC scholarship, activism, and art that strive to envision alternative, more inclusive futures.
Dystopia in Context: A Reflection on Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower
Octavia Butler's seminal work, "Parable of the Sower," provides a stark backdrop for the conference theme. In her dystopian narrative, Butler paints a world grappling with environmental disasters, capitalism's chokehold, and rampant social inequity. While the dystopia may seem grim, it is also teeming with transformation and change, prompting us to consider the urgent need to construct new possibilities. This sentiment echoes José Muñoz's notion of futurity emerging from utopian imagination, as showcased in his book "Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity." In this work, Muñoz posits that queer world-making inherently rejects a bleak future, firmly aligning utopianism with the theme of "Dystopian Realities, Feminist Utopias."
Exploring the Theme: Questions and Provocations
The conference welcomes a diverse range of questions and topics that revolve around this central theme. Some of the key questions for engagement include:
- Worldmaking Amid Catastrophes: What are the historical and contemporary examples of worldmaking practices in the face of catastrophes?
- State and Marginalized Communities: How does the state contribute to the ongoing privation and crisis experienced by marginalized communities, and how do these communities respond?
- Global Impact of Anti-Blackness: In what ways is the impact of anti-Blackness, colonization, and racial capitalism felt similarly and differently around the globe?
- Solidarities and Utopias: How have coalitions and acts of solidarity historically and contemporarily enacted utopias, and what untapped opportunities for solidarities remain?
- Feminist Critique and Resistance: How does feminist thought, activism, and art critique and resist hegemonic structures?
- Freedom Dreams for an Ethical Future: How can Black, Indigenous, trans/queer freedom dreams guide us in mapping an ethical future?
- Enacting Utopia: How do we personally enact or perform utopia in our lives, politics, and art?
Diverse Fields and Topics: The Intersections
Thinking Gender 2024 embraces a wide array of fields and subjects, encouraging participants to explore intersections and challenges within the theme. Some of the focal areas include:
- Climate crisis and environmental sustainability
- Indigenous modes of survivance in post-apocalyptic scenarios
- Black feminist thought and fugitivity
- Afrofuturism and Indigenous futurisms
- Technology, new media, and digital culture
- Political repression, fascism, and global authoritarianism
- Film, media, music, cultural production, and performance
- Activism, social movements, and organizing, both historical and contemporary
- Incarceration, punishment, and abolition
- Social institutions of control (education, foster care, mental health, housing, health care, elder care, workplaces)
- Health, illness, and wellness
- Disability and crip futurity
- Displacement, dispossession, and gentrification
- Reproductive justice and reproductive futurity
- Citizenship, migration, asylum, and deportation
- Comics, manga, and anime
- Policing and surveillance
- Policy and governance
Opportunities for Participation
Graduate students can participate in Thinking Gender 2024 in three ways:
- Virtual Workshops for Works-in-Progress (February 28, 2024)
- In-Person Workshops for Work-in-Progress (February 29, 2024)
- In-Person Presentations of Finished Projects (March 1, 2024)
Submission formats are diverse, including scholarly papers, hybrid critical/creative works, and film/mixed media. While the possibilities are not limited, formats like short films, soundscapes, digital archives, and interactive projects resonate strongly with this year's theme.
Submission Guidelines and Deadlines
Eligibility is open to registered graduate students from any institution. Collaborative or co-authored works are encouraged, with a preference for unpublished submissions. The submission deadline is October 29, 2023, at 11:59 PM PDT. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by December 15, 2023. Workshop participants will be required to submit their work-in-progress by February 1, 2024, with finalized papers due for in-person presenters by the same date.
Contact Information
For questions or further information, please reach out to Thinking Gender Coordinator Lynette Dixon at thinkinggender@women.ucla.edu.
In Conclusion
Thinking Gender 2024 promises to be a platform for intellectual exploration and the creative envisioning of a more just and equitable future. With its focus on "Dystopian Realities, Feminist Utopias," this conference beckons scholars and artists to engage with pressing social and political issues through the lens of gender, race, class, and sexuality. As we embark on this journey of inquiry and imagination, we invite you to participate and help us shape the utopian visions that will guide us towards a better tomorrow.
