LIBERATORY PRACTICES FOR WORLDS IN CRISIS
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | March 22-23, 2025 | Hybrid Format
In 2024, we are surrounded by crisis in nearly every sector of our world(s): environmental, political, social, cultural, and interpersonal. Crisis is not a new nor a unique phenomenon: Indigenous societies have faced decimation, war has torn through family and political associations, and environmental devastation cycles again and again.
This conference invites graduate student scholars, activists, and practitioners to examine what it means and has meant to survive in a world in crisis. What do we mean by crisis? How do historical experiences of crisis inform our understanding of present crises? What is the meaning and purpose of “liberatory practices” in the historical and contemporary world? How do Indigenous, feminist, queer, trans, disability or other lenses offer alternative understandings of crisis? What world is possible after a crisis? By exploring these and more questions, we hope to consider how new methods of study and care practices in our scholarship might allow us to imagine different worlds, develop resilience in a crisis-laden world, become “undisciplined” academically, and/or form more caring and collaborative communities.
Submissions may cover theoretical analyses, empirical studies, performative practices, reflections on community actions, and others. We especially encourage scholars who may be marginalized in their lived experience and/or in their academic field to participate.
Potential topics may include but are not limited to:
- Liberatory practices and emancipation;
- Methods of resistance;
- Institutions and power;
- Systems of oppression;
- Understanding and defining crisis;
- Cosmologies and pluriversal politics;
- Relationship between scholarship and practice;
- Speculative futures;
- Alternative methods of study;
- Care practices
SUBMISSIONS
All proposals must be submitted at https://tinyurl.com/2025CFPsubmissions by October 30, 2024 at 11:59pm Eastern. All participants will be notified about the status of their proposal no later than January 13, 2025.
Submission types:
- Academic Paper Submission
- Submissions should include a 250-300 word abstract, your name, pronouns, program, university affiliation, e-mail address, a short bio (3-5 sentences), three to six keywords, and any audio/visual requirements.
- Paper submissions should be for 15-minute presentations.
- The paper does not need to be completed in order to submit and present at our conference.
- Academic Project Submissions
- Project submissions should include a 250-300 word abstract as well as your name, program, university affiliation, e-mail address, a short bio (3-5 sentences), three to six keywords, and any audio/visual requirements.
- Also include the scale and duration of your piece (if relevant), as well as space or presentationpreferences.
- Past projects included dance, theatrical works, visual arts, film screenings, workshops, interactive activities, and mixed media presentations.
- Lastly, please provide a web link to relevant visual, audio, portfolio, project/program plan, or support materials (no more than 5 images or 5 minutes of audio or video).
- If you would like to discuss a potential project with the committee, please feel free to reach out to us at gcws.conference@gmail.com.
- Panel Submission
- If you would prefer to design your own panel please have each person submit their paper/project idea as noted above and specify the intended panel idea and participants.
- Self-designed panels may have between 3 and 5 speakers.
For more information contact the GCWS Graduate Student Conference Committee at gcws.conference@gmail.com or visit our website at https://www.gcws.mit.edu/.