The Feminist Research Institute invites proposals for the

Feminist Futures Research Symposium

January 23, 2020 at UC Davis

The Feminist Research Institutes invites presentation proposals from UCD graduate students, junior faculty, adjuncts, and independent and visiting scholars for the Feminist Futures Research Symposium to be held on January 23, 2020 from 1-6pm. The symposium will invite research from across the social sciences, humanities, law, and STEM fields. Keynote speakers will be Alisa Bierria (Ethnic Studies, UC-Riverside) and Kara Keeling (Cinema and Media Studies, University of Chicago).

The Feminist Research Institute’s 2019-2020 theme “Feminist Futures” points towards the need to engage in research practices that imagine a more just world and move us in that direction. Feminists of color along with indigenous and queer scholars, social justice scientists, writers, and artists all recognize the importance of envisioning the world toward which we want to grow. Their work draws upon histories of resistance in order to engage in forward-looking speculative practices that often challenge traditional models of progress and innovation. The urgency of problems facing us around the world pushes us to develop new forms of knowledge and practice that build a future where the most precarious among us have access to the resources needed for a full life. This means both amplifying the voices of those who have been historically and systematically disadvantaged, and acknowledging that they must be our leaders in providing insight to what is needed to bring about that reality. Sharing a goal of Feminist Futures requires us to use imagination to work past what seems impossible, remaining attuned to how change—whether technological or social—affects the most vulnerable. Feminist Futures are interdisciplinary—weaving together humanities and social sciences with science, technology, and medicine. It is hard work, because we will likely not all agree on what the future should look like, but this tension is part of the process. We invite you to join us in that process at the Feminist Futures Research Symposium.

Possible topics include but are not limited to: race/ethnically grounded futurisms, speculative arts, humanities and social science projects, speculative design, science research with feminist values in fields such as ecology, environment, technology design, medicine, and engineering.

Submission Guidelines

Proposals should be submitted via Google Forms by Friday, Nov 8th at 11:59pm and include:

1. Proposal (500 words max) that includes a description of how your work fits the theme
2. Curriculum Vitae (2 page maximum) 

Questions? Please contact us at fri@ucdavis.edu.