CFP: Queertopia! 2.0 Graduate Student Conference, Northwestern University

Call For Papers
Queer Pride Graduate Student Association
Northwestern University

We invite graduate students and advanced undergrads in all academic
disciplines to present their original research at Queertopia! 2.0 Graduate Student Conference to be held at Center on Halsted on Saturday, May 2. While we welcome submissions on all aspects of queer studies, we are particularly interested in submissions related to this year’s theme of (Re)Imagining Communit(ies).

Queer scholars have long recognized that there is no single gay community, but rather multiple overlapping communities comprised of people with multiple identities. We want to move beyond that, to interrogate how we can use our theoretical knowledge to understand our communities and lived
experiences.

Possible questions may include: In a shifting political landscape that
focuses less on a splintering of identity and more on community, how does the queer community and identity politics fit in? How do our multiple individual identities affect our constructions of different communities in which we claim membership? Once we’ve identified as queer, how do redefine ourselves in other communities? How do social constructions of sexuality affect our constructions of a queer community? How are stereotypes used by others and by us to define a queer community?

Proposed panels include, but are not limited to: bridging academe and
activism in queer studies; law, community, and queer studies; and gender variance and political-economy in the global south.

We invite paper abstracts of 500 words or less. In addition to submitting abstracts of individual research, we also invite students to submit proposals for panels. Interested parties should submit a title for the panel, description of the panel, abstracts of 4-5 papers to be presented, and contact information for a panel moderator/respondent and all paper presenters.

Please send an abstract, along with your contact information (name,
university, email address, and phone number), to ,queertopia.nu@gmail.com. We will begin reviewing abstracts as submitted on a rolling basis, with a final submission deadline of March 6, 2009. We will inform submitters of panel placements by March 23, 2009. We may be able to offer travel scholarships to presenters. Preference will be given to presenters travelling farther and those who do not have access to department, or other funds.

Please circulate this announcement to all those who may be interested.