gender studies and sexuality

THE THIRD ANNUAL WOMEN, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES GRADUATE SYMPOSIUM

A Century of Black History Commemorations

“The Impact and Meaning of Black History and Life Commemorations in Transforming the Status of

Black Peoples in the Modern World”

Morgan State University, April 2, 2026

Plant Lives: Sacred Interdependencies in the Arts of the Americas

A planting event and conference hosted by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music

April 11, 2026

In 1831, the preacher Nat Turner testified that hieroglyphics had appeared to him on leaves and corn stalks in a field. These hieroglyphics, he said, relayed divine messages that inspired him to lead a rebellion of enslaved Virginians. The starting point for this one-day conference is the many capacities of plants to transmit divine insights across time. This event at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music will explore the ways in which plants perform, evoke, and embody sacred relations throughout the Americas.

Call for Abstracts for Special Issue of Rhetoric Society Quarterly Maternal Rhetorics: Deconstructing Expectations of Mother/Woman/ParenthoodCo-editors: Anna D'Orazio (University of Cincinnati), Wendy Sharer (East Carolina University), and Jurrita Williams (University of Alabama) In a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson, then-Senate candidate and now-Vice President JD Vance criticized the Democratic Party “for becoming anti-family and anti-child.” He stated, “It's just a basic fact—you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]—the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children….How does it make sense that we’ve

ATHE 2026

“ACTIVATING IMAGINATION IN/AND COMMUNITY”
July 22–26, 2026  |  Baltimore, Maryland

This year’s conference theme, "Activating Imagination in/and Community," asks us to think deeply and courageously about the role of theatre and performance in shaping our shared presents and collective futures. It challenges us to contemplate not just what we do, but how and with whom we do it, while recognizing that, in the face of growing political repression and institutional instability, our collaborations—across disciplines, communities, and identities—are simultaneously more vulnerable and vital than ever.

Queering food in the 21st Century

“The beyond is not a new horizon, but a sense of the transition that takes place in the interstices” — Homi K. Bhabha, The Location of Culture (1994)

Communication in the age of digital spaces has transformed rapidly. The advent of social media platforms has led to a transition in the manner and extent of information circulation online, making communication a more collaborative and democratised form of participation. Participatory culture, as defined by Henry Jenkins, is a space that enables the audience to become active participants rather than passive consumers of the texts. The meaning of participation especially evolves with the exposure to social media platforms that allow individual members to find a space for their expression.

A Two-Day International Conference on

Beyond Binaries: Interrogating the Multiplicity of Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Society

21st and 22nd January, 2026

Organized by

Centre for Gender Studies

And

Department of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies

Swami Vivekananda University

Concept Note:

The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Society will host two panels at the 37th Annual American Literature Association Conference, May 20-23, 2026 in Chicago. We invite proposals for presentations on any aspect of Gilman’s life and work.

Possible topics include but are by no means limited to:

• Gilman and the Female Gothic

• Gilman and Xenofeminism

• Gilman and First Wave Feminism

• Gilman and Medicine / the Health Humanities

• Gilman and Utopianism

• Gilman and Evolutionary Science

• Gilman and Religion

• Gilman and Queer Culture

PCA True Crime CFP 2026

UPDATED: Abstract Submission Deadline: Officially Friday, December 5th, 2026 with an additional week for late submissions at the discretion of the Area Chairs by Friday, December 12th, 2026. Please note if you have trouble submitting after December 5th, you should contact Samantha or Lauren directly.

PCA/ACA will be held from April 8-11th, 2026 in Atlanta, GA

Beyond the Pipe: Hydro politics, Gendered Scarcity, and Water Justice in South Asia Edited by Debapriya Ganguly and Rajni Singh Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad The hydro-political landscape of South Asia is arguably a defining site for examining the nexus of resource scarcity, human security, and regional conflict. While concerns over resource depletion are globally prevalent, this book aims to critique the fundamental premise of scarcity itself, asserting that in contexts like the Indo-Gangetic basin, it is rarely a natural condition. Instead, it is a socially and politically generated phenomenon—a “scare of scarcity”—instrumentalized by powerful groups to consolidate control and justify spatial domination.

Weird Genres, Weird Gender 

For MSA 2026, Loughborough UK (July 1-4)

I am interested in putting together a panel proposal with scholars working in the spaces of genre fiction in the early/mid 20th century, including romance, science fiction, westerns, horror/occult, detective fiction, historical fiction, adventure fiction, and children’s fiction, with an eye to representations of gender and sexuality. Analyses that bridge early 20th century genre study with contemporary genre narratives and adaptations are also welcome. 

Some possible topics could include

Speculative Futures in CanLit

Call for Papers

Article submissions in English or French are invited for a special 50th-anniversary issue of Studies in Canadian Literature / Études en littérature canadienne on the theme of Speculative Futures in CanLit. The issue will be co-edited by John Clement Ball, Laura Moss, and Cynthia Sugars, and with a submission deadline of 15 May 2026.

This issue invites submissions on the myriad manifestations of the “speculative” and “future” in the field of Canadian literature, from submissions about speculative fiction and cultural texts, to environmental and/or political futures, to speculations about the future of Canadian literature itself.

Call for Papers II -- Queer and Trans of Color Critique: Colonial Legacies, Decolonial Futures