2A: Pyle TBA~ Making Inclusive Education More Than Buzz Words
We will facilitate an in-depth discussion of the meaning, implementation, and implications of inclusive education. In disciplines such as STEM, business, etc., we want to generate ways to encourage instructors and students to become involved in community-building, serve as advocates for historically marginalized groups, and develop a deeper appreciation of underrepresented narratives. The facilitators will provide pedagogies used in their own teaching practices and engage the audience in sharing strategies to help encourage resistant students and faculty allies.
- Frank King (He/Him/His), Assistant Professor, Social Sciences and Ethnic Studies, UW-Platteville
- Dong Isbister, Associate Professor, Women and Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Social Sciences, UW-Platteville
- Rea Kirk, Professor, School of Education, UW-Platteville
- Jason Roth, Undergraduate Student, Women’s and Gender Studies, UW-Platteville
- Rosalind Broussard, Professor Emeritus, Political Science, Social Sciences, Ethnic Studies, and Women and Gender Studies UW-Platteville
2B: Pyle TBA~Indigenous Feminist Analyses of Violence and Oppression
Performance Artists and Violence Against Native American Women
This presentation will discuss two women artists, Rebecca Belmore and Luzene Hill, and how their work gives voice to the voiceless–millions of Native women who have experienced sexual assault, are missing or have been murdered. For far too long, Indigenous women have been misunderstood within frameworks of settler colonialism, their powerful status misinterpreted to conform to early settler gender models, and simultaneously disenfranchised and rendered invisible. Belmore and Hill have created performance art installations to dramatically interrogate these stereotypes for Indigenous women in the United States, Canada and globally. Within Indigenous discourse, resilience usually refers to the ability of Indigenous people to overcome the adversarial and enduring impacts of colonialism. Belmore and Hill’s work follows this line of thinking and prompts us to rethink and reshape the narrow dictionary definition of resilience, and instead view resilience as embodied in endurance, adaptability and sovereignty in relation to customary cultural practices, contemporary identities, the land, and the impact of colonial practices and strategies.
- Genevieve Le May, PhD Student, American Indian Studies, University of Arizona and a UW Alumni/Masters Gender and Women’s Studies
Geographic and Other Barriers that Impact Access to Care for Wisconsin American Indian Women Affected by Gender- Based Violence
American Indian (AI) women face the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the United States. As a panel representing student scholar-activists in Nursing, Public Health, Geography & Women’s & Gender Studies, we argue that an interdisciplinary feminist approach to this topic matters. The magnitude of the problem of GBV against AI women is an unacceptable legacy of historic and contemporary colonization, and a lack of resources to address it. Analysis of the spatial relationship between tribal nations and support services, including emergency housing and medical services, can offer insight into the geographic barriers AI victim/survivors face. However, this analysis is incomplete. Simply mapping the location of tribal nations and resources does not paint the full picture of obstacles AI women face. Defining and utilizing intersectionality and indigenous feminism as analytic tools can make the mapping analysis more powerful.
As a panel we will discuss how our varied disciplines and positionalities bring creativity and productive tension to this work. The goal of our collaborative feminist theorizing is to further research and propose interventions that contribute to improved outcomes for AI women survivors of violence.
- Katie Klein (she/her/hers and/or they/them/theirs), Graduate Student, Women’s and Gender Studies, UW-Milwaukee
- Jeneile Luebke, Graduate Student, UW-Milwaukee
- Ashley Ruiz, Graduate Student, UW-Milwaukee
- Maren Hawkins, Graduate Student, UW-Milwaukee
- Katie Merkle, Graduate Student, UW-Milwaukee
2C: Pyle TBA~Histories of Queer Community Activism and Leadership
“It’s Not a Race Thing, It’s a Cultural Adaptation Thing”: Assimilation and the Meaning of Community in Boystown, Chicago
My presentation examines the racial panic within Boystown, a gay neighborhood on the north side of Chicago that culminated in residents forming the Take Back Boystown movement in 2011. I argue that through a two-stage process of gentrification, Boystown has adopted mainstream assimilationist LGBT politics, highlighting the difficulty of sustaining radical queer spaces in a gay neighborhood. In my presentation I make the distinction between a “gay neighborhood” and a “queer community”, demonstrating how as Boystown transitioned into a whiter, wealthier, and straighter neighborhood, it maintained its status as a gay neighborhood. However, it failed to serve a larger queer community, specifically Black queer youth seen as outsiders to the neighborhood. This examination reveals larger historical trends within LGBT political movements and brings into question the struggle for collective liberation more broadly.
- Caide Jackson (She/Her/Hers), Community Member, Oberlin College
Fighting as Form: Recovering the Roles of Latinx Women and Youth Leadership in Activism on the Lower West Side of Chicago
Latinx feminist, non-binary and queer people along with youth activists fought for justice on the Lower West Side of Chicago, and their work built the foundation of cultural institutions and were integral parts of the battles for immigrant rights and education, labor and housing justice–and yet their history remains largely unwritten. Who were our queer and nonbinary predecessors and feminist foremothers in the struggle? Who were the youth who organizing for justice, and where are their stories? What tactics did they employ as they confronted power, and how do their struggles inform our fight today? This project is a small step towards recuperating their histories through visual culture. Key moments in activism, cultural production and community organizing will map the broad terrain of Latinx leadership and activism of the late 60s-80s.
- Nicole Marroquin (She/Her and They/Theirs), Associate Professor, Art Education, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
The Kids Aren’t Alright: Through Lines of Trans Protest and Rioting Post 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot
Through a performative lecture, I will investigate the contemporary through lines of trans protest and rioting. The format will consist of projected archival footage and recordings along with live re-enactments of historical trans figures. Beginning with the most recent recorded instance—Blossom C. Brown’s protesting at the 2019 Human Rights Campaign Presidential Town Hall Meeting—and going back in time, I will probe the on-going erasure and violence of trans lives along with our resistance and resilience. The timeline will end on the pivotal historical moment of Compton’s Cafeteria Riot of 1966.
The drive behind this performative lecture is to build on the notions surrounding trans protest and rioting. I find scholarly writings on the lineage of trans oppression by individuals such as Susan Stryker and Dean Spade to be quite influential. I work from the feminist perspective of utilizing the personal as political. As a trans woman-of-color, the idea of my voice being used as a vehicle for change is a primary purpose for this pointed storytelling.
- Carmen Luz Corredor (She/Her/Hers), Graduate Student, Arts Journalism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2D: Pyle TBA~ Narratives of Violence and Exclusion, From Fat Phobia to Musical Composition: Examples of University of Wisconsin Whitewater’s Undergraduate Capstone Research Project
In this session, advanced undergraduates from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will present their final research projects from our capstone advanced seminar course. Reflecting the interdisciplinary curriculum of Women’s and Gender Studies, students will present on a wide variety of topics including fat phobia, eating disorder prevention, sexual and reproductive health, lesbian representation in pop music, exclusion in classical music canons, LGBTQ+ inclusion in university student services, and grant writing for a domestic violence shelter. A consistent themes in these final projects include: protecting vulnerable persons from physical and discursive violence, violence prevention, providing services to those who experience violence, and producing alternative epistemologies to challenge violence and exclusion.
- Moderator, Ashley Barnes-Gilbert (She/Her/Hers), Lecturer, UW-Whitewater
- Student Panelists TBA
2E: Pyle TBA~Broadening Access, Disrupting Bias in the Workplace and Classroom
Creating a Culture of Access through Feminist Pedagogy
Everyone is responsible for participating in a culture of access to meet the constantly changing needs of diverse learners, especially considering the impact of new technologies and expanding modes of communication. I conceptualize an effective culture of access as one that is collaborative and inclusive to diverse learning needs and argue that this needs to be part of a feminist pedagogy.
In my session, I will take up Brewer et al.’s question: “How might transformative access live in practice?” (152). To answer this, I will discuss and provide examples for how teachers can implement effective accessibility practices regarding:
Access to curriculum, instruction, and assessment via Universal Design for Learning
Access to texts/materials via Universal Design
Access to classroom spaces
Access to preparation (time to prepare for expectations)
Access to mental and physical health support
Access to ongoing support
Additionally, I will provide time for attendees to brainstorm and share ways they can implement more accessible practices to foster a culture of access as part of a feminist pedagogy.
Work Cited
Brewer, Elizabeth, et al. “Creating a Culture of Access in Composition Studies.” Composition Studies, 2014.
- Molly Ubbesen (she/her/hers or they/their/theirs), Graduate Student, UW-Milwaukee
ADVANCEGeo Partnership: Empowering Geoscientists to Transform Workplace Climate through Cultural and Institutional Change
Harassment and other behaviors that create hostile workplaces present serious hurdles to diversifying many STEM fields. These behaviors persist due to persistent structures of exclusion, continued marginalization of nonmajority groups, severe power imbalances in the current research training and funding models, and inadequate attitudes and policies against misconduct. ADVANCEGeo Partnership builds on successful collaborations among the American Geophysical Union, the Association for Women Geoscientists, and the Earth Science Women’s Network to generate systemic change in the geosciences through a multi-level approach to transform workplace climate: at the institutional level, by addressing academic cultures through the leadership of scientific societies and on campus efforts; structurally, through policies and processes that guide professional conduct and response to hostile behaviors; and individually, through education and empowerment of all members of the scientific community.
- Erika Marin-Spiotta (She/Her/Hers), Professor, Geography, UW-Madison
Navigating Employment: Queer and Disability Perspectives on Rights in the Workplace
This presentation aims to inform attendees about the intersection of disability, queerness, and navigating the employment system. Through a self-advocacy and empowerment lens, attendees will learn about how employment systems work and how to advocate for the right to be authentic in their expression. Topics of the presentation may include: civil and legal rights at work, how to ask for accommodations, decolonizing the workspace, and ally-specific strategies. The information presented will assist attendees in both the practice of employment self-advocacy, but provide a means to be allies and to translate the content to encourage others to advocate for themselves. Methods of presentation will include an instructional PowerPoint and small group/conversation work.
- Katherine Bakhuizen (She/Her/Hers), Graduate Student, Rehabilitation Counselor Education (RPSE), UW-Madison
2F: Pyle TBA~Alternative Epistemologies: The Climate Crisis, Food Production, and Biodiversity
In Body and Spirit; Women, Faith and the Climate Crisis
We are now at the brink of a global ecological and climate crisis, having crossed the planetary boundaries for climate change, biodiversity loss, land use change, and biogeochemical cycles largely due to the neoliberal model of economic growth and its dependence on fossil fuels. Most of the impacts of climate change will be disproportionately felt by women, whether in the aftermath of natural disasters or in the continuation of unequal roles, resources and power distribution. In the US, women are 35% more likely to live in poverty than men, and women of color, especially from African American and First Nation communities, will be most vulnerable to the unfolding crisis. Recent years have seen the global emergence of faith-led environmental and climate movements, which are a profoundly important strategy in addressing the root causes of biodiversity loss and climate change and which center themselves in the language of values and justice. This talk will focus on the role of women faith leaders and lay women who are at the forefront of such movements, and who work to integrate their spirituality with environmental science in order to build community and ecological resilience.
- Dekila Chungyalpa, Director, Loka Initiative, UW-Madison
Guardians of Biodiversity: The Case of Women Farmers in Peru
Since time immemorial, women farmers in the Andes of Peru use their knowledge to conserve biodiversity. For Indigenous peoples, food is sacred because it underscores “collective rights and responsibilities” over biodiversity preservation, health, and well-being often overlooked in academia and policymaking. For Quechua of Peru, as with other Indigenous peoples worldwide, colonial forces such as capitalism and neoliberalism have led to the disposition of land, disruption of collective food relations, and struggles for food sovereignty. Drawing from my work with ‘Andean seed keepers,’ or ladies of Choquecancha (Quechua Communities), who live at an altitude of 3,800m in the highlands of Peru. I show how in the Andes women, farmers are using their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to conserve not only the Andes’ biodiversity but of humanity overall. Also, I highlight the vital role that TEK plays in framing practices and processes that drive the restoration of Indigenous peoples’ food systems and environmental health today. This study demonstrates that food can play a fundamental role in asserting collective self-determination, for moving beyond approaches to food, and ultimately for pursuing environmental justice.
Key words: Andes, Biodiversity, Seed Keepers, TEK, Women Farmers.
- Mariaelena Huambachano, Assistant Professor, Civil Society and Community Studies, SOHE, UW-Madison
Agroecology, as an Alternative Epistemology with a Gender Lens of Mainstream Food Production Systems
Agroecology is the application of ecological principles to farming systems, a methodology which integrates a transdisciplinary lens. This concept has been gaining traction in the discourse to achieve food security because it bridges ecological and social dimensions with the development of resilient food systems in the face of climate change.
We will discuss how agroecological practices harness natural processes in the farms, creating multidimensional synergies among its inherent diversity and builds food systems that are more just and rely on ecological integrity rather than on profit. Agroecology becomes therefore an alternative epistemology where profit maximization is not deemed to be the only driver for economic behavior.
We will also highlight how even when gender roles in agriculture still follow traditional patterns, agroecological- adopting farming families tend to move towards more gendered-balanced scenarios; however, further efforts that encourage changing gender norms are needed to achieve complete gender parity.
- Claudia Irene Calderón (She/Her/Hers), Faculty Associate, Horticulture, UW-Madison
2G: Pyle TBA~International Perspectives on Women and Wellbeing
The Housing Issue of Female Professors in Contemporary Russia
At a meeting of members of Russian Academy of Science with the Prime Minister, the problem of housing was raised as one of the significant obstacles hindering the involvement of young Russians into academic careers. Among the privileges when hiring people with PhD degrees in the USSR was not a high salary, but the provision of housing by the state. The opportunity to get an apartment attracted talented young people to schools and labs, making it possible to maintain a fairly high level of education and science. The mechanism for obtaining an apartment was as follows: a talented graduate student was left at the department and was given a room in a dorm, where he was permanently registered. He or she lived there from two to three years, while the university administrators worked with local authorities on the issue of providing an apartment. However, with the transition from socialism to capitalism in Russia, the provision of apartments to PhD holders ceased, which left a number of them living in university dormitories with almost no hope of solving their housing problem. Especially in this regard, women are affected whose salaries do not even allow them to purchase a room in communal apartment. The presentation addresses these issues.
- Svetlana Gertner, Professor, Culturology, Moscow State Institute of Culture
Pension Reform in the Gendered Context of Russian Life and Culture
On September 24, 2018 the Russian government and the Russian Duma (congress) passed “pension reform,” an act commonly regarded as an infringement on Russian men’s’ rights to meaningful retirement. The reform increases the retirement age from 60 to 65 for men. What is missing from the public discourse is how “pension reform” effects Russian women as well for whom the retirement age changed from 55 to 60. At first glance, it may appear that women are beneficiaries of the reform; indeed, the retirement age is five years lower than the requirement for men. This talk reveals how other factors in Russian life and culture impose barriers that make it difficult for women to participate fully in the workforce and place them at a disadvantage compared to their male peers from the beginning, making the five year difference in retirement inconsequential to their economic advancement. I will also highlight the limited effectiveness women’s activists have had in reversing these trends and misperceptions.
- Yuri Kitov, Professor and Chair, Culturology, Moscow State Institute of Culture
Bodies Across the Borders: Retracing the Memories of the Indian Partition
Drawing from the works of Sadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chugtai and Khushwant Singh, this paper will seek to understand how femininity and the body are constructed and hyper-sexualized during ethnic conflicts. I primarily explore how women’s bodies are used as conduits in men’s violence and the impact such violence has on the lived experiences (of women). The partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 resulted in the redrawing of the borders between the newly independent states of India and Pakistan and the uprooting of 15 million people. In the wake of decolonization, violence erupted as the new boundaries rested on religious lines, and Hindus and Muslims now faced each other with communal hatred. Women’s bodies became sites of communal violence as men perpetuated mass rape and other forms of sexual violence to communicate with the (other) enemy. They abducted women either from their homes or from the refugee trains and kept them hostages whom they violated or raped publically. Exploring accounts of sexual violence, trauma, and memories, this paper will seek to revisit the historical realities of partition, freedom and migration from the position of female subjectivity.
- Deeplina Banerjee (She/Her/Hers), Graduate Student, Women’s Studies and Feminist Research, University of Western Ontario
2H: Pyle TBA~ Socially Engaged Art and Women’s Well-Being: Feminist Artists Impact the Future
For more than six decades, the National Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) has been the foremost feminist organization of academic and non-academic artists in the United States, addressing voice and vision to institutional and cultural injustices in the arts and beyond. Operating from the perspective that we cannot impact a problem we cannot see, the WCA supports and encourages art expressions that reveal and resist political structures and power holders that maintain sexism and anti-humanist injustices. In the words of Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Art is humanizing in ways that nonfiction and politics are not.” The power of Art to stir empathy is a source of hope in these difficult times, and this panel will share examples of how the WCA continues to promote artists’ abilities to translate experience into visual presences in the form of socially engaged art. The panelists, feminist artists and WCA members–Spooky Boobs Art Collective (Maggie Snyder, Amy Cannestra, and Myszka Lewis), Badass Cross Stitch (Shannon Downey), Yeonhee Cheong, and Rebecca Kautz–integrate feminism, arts and activism in instrumental art, exposing conditions and inspiring resistance in imaginative ways, creating opportunities for insight and dialog.
- Laurie Talbot Hall (She/Her/Hers), Vice-president for Midwest Region, National Women’s Caucus for Art
- Maggie Snyder, Visiting Professor of Art, Beloit College
- Amy Cannestra, National Women’s Caucus for Art
- Myszka Lewis, National Women’s Caucus for Art
- Rebecca Kautz (She/Her/Hers), Mount Mary University& National Women’s Caucus for Art
- Yeonhee Cheong, National Women’s Caucus for Art
- Shannon Downey (She/Her/Hers), Columbia College &National Women’s Caucus for Art
2I: Pyle TBA~ Profiles in Undergraduate WGS Research
This panel features research from undergraduates in Women’s and Gender Studies across the UW-System.