Conference at Middlesex University: The rebirth of feminism? Situating feminism in the popular imaginary

Wednesday, 30 October 2013 from 10:00 to 16:00

This one-day workshop aims to challenge the idea that feminism as a social movement is no longer current or applicable to the lives of women, and further explores the ways in which stereotypes in the media and public discourse debunk both feminist activists and academics, failing to acknowledge feminism’s transformative potential.  These prejudicial accounts are a-critically reproduced and reinforced in the fabrics of everyday life and increasingly do not correspond to actual experiences in the real word. Stigmatizing accounts of feminism for instance suggests that young women are anti-feminist, and anti-feminism becomes constitutive of young womanhood in the popular imaginary. However, in the last five years public discourse about feminism has become more prominent in the UK and, at the same time, feminist activism and campaigns have intensified.

The workshop aims at creating a platform for academics and a diverse range of feminist activists to discuss this paradox which is so solidly inscribed in the popular imaginary and will experiment with non-hierarchical interaction among participants. In the morning sessions, invited feminist activists/academics will comment on images, short clips, news items or other cultural and social artifacts of their choice which are meaningful in order to explore the challenges feminism poses to the popular imaginary in the twenty first century.  Invited activists and academics include Kat Baynard, Kristin Aune, Nirmal Puwar, Yvette Taylor, Feona Attwood, Kate Hardy, Jason Lim, and Ellis Suzanna Slack.  During the afternoon  participants will be engaged through Participatory Video and the production of a short video which captures ideas and encounters inspired by the workshop.

We are asking participants to donate £5 to attend the session, which will be donated to Hackney Women's Forum. If you would like to attend but are unable to pay the donation, please contact us to discuss.

This event is organized by Elena Vacchelli, Erin Sanders-McDonagh, and Anastasia Christou, with help from the Social Policy Research Centre and the School of Law at Middlesex University.

Please contact Christiana Rose at c.rose@mdx.ac.uk for further details about the conference, or more information about registering.

You can find out more and book your place at: https://middlesexfeministconference.eventbrite.co.uk/

Dr Miranda Horvath

Reader in Forensic Psychology
Deputy Director of Forensic Psychological Services

Department of Psychology
School of Health and Education
Middlesex University
London
NW4 4BT

Tel: +44 (0)2084114532
Fax: +44 (0)2082035973
Email: m.horvath@mdx.ac.uk
Personal webpage: http://www.mdx.ac.uk/aboutus/staffdirectory/miranda-horvath.aspx
Follow me on Twitter@Miranda_Horvath

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/fps

2012-2013 David Jenkins Chair in Forensic and Legal Medicine
Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians
http://www.fflm.ac.uk

Associate Editor of the Journal of Sexual Aggression
www.tandf.co.uk/journals/tjsa