2011 Conference
Overview
Gender Matters is a public conference highlighting graduate student and
faculty research on gender, women, and sexuality across all disciplines
and historical periods.
Conference planners sought to bring together students, activists, and
researchers from the Midwest region to discuss the ongoing role of
gender in structuring society.
The first annual Gender Matters conference was held on April 8, 2011 at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois.
Theme
The theme playfully invokes the germinal work of Judith Butler referencing:
- Gender Trouble
- Bodies that Matter
Broadly, conference planners invited work on all matters of gender.
More specifically, we were particularly interested in work that
explicates how gender matters, and continues to matter, in our world.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Karma Chávez
Karma Chávez is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Her work uses queer, feminist and
critical race approaches to examine the rhetorical practices of
marginalized groups, and she is very interested in coalition politics
and social movements. Her most current research examines the
intersections of immigration and sexuality politics.
She's published several essays in communication journals, and is currently completing a book project, Queer/Migration Politics.
Conference Schedule Overview
- 9–9:30 am: Registration and Breakfast
- 9:30–10:30 am: Concurrent Session 1
- 10:45–11:45 am: Concurrent Session 2
- Noon–1 pm: Lunch
- 1–2 pm: Keynote Address
- 2:15–3:30: Concurrent Session 3
- 3:45–5 pm: Concurrent Session 4
- 5–6:30 pm: Closing Reception (cash bar)
Conference Program
A pdf version of the Conference Program can be downloaded here.
