Embodying Feminism: Calling In, Calling Out, Calling to Action

media release: Co-Convened by UW System Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium and UW System Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian

About the Conference:

Embody: to give a concrete form to what is abstract; to express in an institution, work of art, action; to form into a body or company for military or other purposes; to organize

A critical component of feminist theory, engagement, and activism, embodiment has long been at the center of feminist inquiry. The body can be a site of liberation and control, a source of knowledge production and reimagination, and has been imbued with symbolic meanings throughout history and across cultures. This year, we dive into the concrete, physical ways we interact with the world and each other, how our lives are impacted by how we feel and move through spaces, and strategies to embody feminist ideals. What external and internal forces shape embodied experiences? What does it mean to embody feminism when we place accessibility at the center of our work? What does it mean to embody feminism when differing forms of accessibility and inclusivity conflict? The theme of embodying feminism acknowledges that feminism is an ongoing lived and intellectual movement, always in the process of achieving some objectives while simultaneously missing the mark on others. It is a space of contestation and a site for envisioning not just relations of power but also futures of possibility.

In the spirit of this theme, we invite proposals that examine feminist embodiment through various lenses, including transnational, legal, political, reproductive, anti-carceral, digital, artistic, and pedagogical. We encourage proposals that explore transfeminism, queer theory, disability studies, and fat studies, especially those which explicitly bring focus to embodiment. We seek examinations of how law, education, medicine, historical context, and the built world around us impact the human body, its conditions and experiences. We welcome participation from community organizations and feminist activists engaged in cross-movement organizing and coalition-building centered on networks of care. We also invite proposals that directly engage with trauma, embodied vulnerabilities, and the precarity of the current geo-political and socio-political moment. Panels and workshops offering strategies for moving from feminist theory to action are strongly encouraged. This year’s theme challenges us to put our ideas into action to create a better, more just world for every body.

Full conference fee $175 for whole conference or $80 for one day – lunches and breaks included

Student fee/low-income $125 for whole conference or $50 for one day – lunches and breaks included

All UW System students can attend the conference for free due to a grant from UW-Madison’s Anonymous Fund. Students can contact Stephanie Rytilahti, srrytilahti@wisc.edu, for the waiver code.

Walk-ins and same-day registration available.

Keynotes and Plenaries:

Dr. Jamelia Morgan, Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 4:00pm:  Dr. Jamelia Morgan is an award-winning and acclaimed scholar and teacher focusing on the intersections of race, gender, disability, and criminal law and punishment. Co-sponsored by UW-Madison’s Disability Cultural Center

Kristin Welch,Friday, April 11, 2025, at 10:00am: Kristin Welch is the Founder and Executive Director of Waking Women Healing Institute, an Indigenous & Survivor-led nonprofit organization.  Co-Sponsored by UW-Madison’s Center for Research on Gender and Women

Dr. Mimi Khúc, Friday, April 11, 2025, at 4:30pm: Mimi Khúc, PhD, is creator of the acclaimed mental health projects Open in Emergency and the Asian American Tarot. Co-sponsored by the UW-Madison’s Center for Research on Gender and Women and the Disability Cultural Center

Artists' Panel, Saturday, April 12, 2025, at 10:00am: Harmony Hill, Charlie Barbara Wetzel, Kantara Souffrant, Pao Houa Her. Co-Sponsored by UW-Madison’s Department of Gender and Women’s Studies and funded by the Mellon Foundation’s Affirming Multivocal Humanities Program