The session “Women in Literature” includes papers dealing with any aspect of women in literature or literature by women. The session may contain essays on a wide variety of topics related to literature by and about women, including essays engaging with a wide variety of critical or theoretical approaches. Presentations might include consideration of women/women writers in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and geographical region. Papers may engage with the conference theme, “Our Ruling Classes: Culture, Power, Conflict," but doing so is not required. Additional topics might include:

·      How are women in texts by/about women depicted in relation to existing power structures, and how do they identify, legitimatize, or challenge those structures

·      How is literary genre implicated in the construction and maintenance of power structures that have typically excluded women

·      How have different social units (family/community/nation, etc.) functioned to empower or disempower women, both historically and in more contemporary contexts

·      What role does culture and cultural conflict play in the empowerment/disempowerment of women

·      In what ways has literature provided a space for women to claim their own power and represent that power to others; how have those efforts been restricted or subverted 

The deadline to submit paper proposals is May 15, 2026.

[To submit a proposal, go to the PAMLA CFP page, find the Women in Literature session, click on the session title, and then click on the green “Submit Abstract” button to submit your proposal. (If you’ve never created a User Account at pamla.ballastacademic.com, you will need to do so first).]