Gender and Crisis across Europe
Priority deadline for proposals: July 1, 2012

The GENDER and TRANSFORMATION in EUROPE Workshop—a joint project from New York University and the Network East-West Women–invites speakers to submit proposals for Friday afternoon talks for Fall 2012 at the NYU Center for European and Mediterranean Studies.

The current economic and political crises facing the European Union–and the austerity programs being proposed as solutions–have brought the notion crisis to the forefront of European studies.  Yet, postcommunist societies in Europe and Eurasia have been experiencing crises in various forms for more than two decades of political and economic liberalization, globalization, and Europeanization.

As is our usual practice, we are looking for speakers to discuss gender, sexuality, or women in Europe or Eurasia, especially talks that consider the impact of broader cultural, political, or economic transformations.  For this Fall, we are particularly (but not only) interested in speakers that consider these various notions of crisis and the efforts that women have made in response, including in NGOs, European-level networks such as the European Women’s Lobby, and radical bursts of activism such as Pussy Riot, the Feminist Offensive in Ukraine, and the Occupy movements.  We are curious about how the current crises may be shaping the missions and activities of women’s and feminist groups and their ability to organize and advocate.  We would enjoy hearing gender perspectives on the Euro crisis, the global financial crisis, austerity programs, and other crises facing women.  Generally, we have focused on the postcommunist countries of East and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union, including the Baltic countries and Central Asia, but we are also interested in explorations of gender in Western Europe or comparisons with gender in other parts of the world.

The workshop is an informal and friendly group of about 20 feminist scholars, activists, and journalists who have been meeting for more than 15 years and are knowledgeable about the region. This is the perfect space to present recent field research or scholarly reflections on your activism.

We offer an honorarium; however, we regret that we cannot cover transportation expenses to New York City.

For more information–and details about how to propose a talk–see http://gendertransformationeurope.wordpress.com/.

MODERATORS:

Janet Elise Johnson, Associate Professor, Brooklyn College, CUNY; Visiting Fellow, Center for European and Mediterranean Studies, NYU

Nanette Funk, Professor Emerita, Philosophy, Brooklyn College, CUNY; Visiting Fellow, Center for European and Mediterranean Studies, NYU