Call for papers

In light of contemporary sociopolitical developments and prevailing technological practices, the EAAS Women’s Network Symposium will explore the connection between feminism and technoscience. In particular, it will examine feminist activism in relation to central notions such as the body, nature, and subjectivity within the context of current technoscientific discourses.

The long history of the feminist movement and the great diversity it displays when approached through the perspectives of race, ethnicity, age, and class underscores its strong political impetus and dynamic evolution. Especially when viewed in the context of technoscience, feminism reveals different socio-cultural, political, and media practices at work that not only affect, but also shape, public perceptions of femininity with respect to gender-defined skills, relations, and reproductive abilities. A number of contemporary feminist theoreticians, such as Judith Butler, Donna Haraway, and Rosi Braidotti have commented, each from her own unique perspective, on the impact that technology has had on female labor, bodies, and subjectivity within the context of transnational and global capitalist control.

This symposium will emphasize the central role activism plays in raising awareness about the reciprocal influences that develop between feminism and technology. It will also facilitate the exchange and circulation of information with regard to the impact of technology on diverse groups of women within the context of American Studies.

We invite the submission of individual abstracts, panels, and workshop/roundtable proposals that explore all aspects of this theme. Possible subthemes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Gendered technoscience/technophobia

  • Feminism and the biopolitics of reproductive technologies

  • Feminism and transnational capitalism

  • Feminism and digital networks/the (social) media

  • Feminism and political advocacy/online activism

  • Misogyny and the (social) media

  • Domestic technologies and activism

  • Feminism and technological innovation

  • Ecofeminism and industrialization

  • Feminism and posthumanism

  • Performing gender in virtual environments

  • Cyberfeminism and gendered cyborgs

  • Feminism and cybersexualities

  • Feminism, technoscience and literature

  • Feminist game studies and game production

  • Queer(ing) technology

  • Ethnicity, femininity and technology

  • Feminism, technology, and workforce politics

  • Technological representations of feminism

  • Transnational feminism and technology

Proposals should be sent to the EAAS Women’s Network (eaaswomensnetwork@gmail.com) and should consist of a 300–400 word abstract in English, as well as a one-paragraph biography for each participant. The time allowance for all presentations will be 20 minutes. An additional 10 minutes will be provided for discussion.

Deadline for proposal submission: December 31, 2018.