Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship

Meet & Greet!

2008-09-17T21:12:00.006-04:00

Come meet other GGFS members, old and new, at our annual meet & greet:

When: Wednesday, September 24th, 12-1pm
Where: Thompson House in room 405 (upstairs, fourth floor).
Who: Any graduate student with an interest in gender/sexuality/queer/feminist/race-critical and women's studies. People of all genders are welcome.

A light lunch will be served.

Please note: Thomson House is located at 3650 McTavish, just above Dr-Penfield. It is wheelchair accessible. For more information about the venue call 514-398-3756.

Working for Consensus: GGFS Organizational Structure

2008-09-16T10:20:00.000-04:00

As the new academic year begins, new members may be curious, and old members may need a refresher about the organizational structure of GGFS, and about how we make decisions. These were both collectively decided in 2004 by then-GGFS members (after hours and hours of discussion). Curious about feminism, consensus decision-making, and organizational structure? Check out Jo Freeman's essay The Tyranny of Structurelessness. A classic.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the annual GGFS Meet & Greet to kick off 2008-2009.

**

GGFS Organizational Structure

Membership:
Membership is for any graduate student interested and/or engaged in feminist research. Members on the list serve will be considered members for the purposes of meetings.

Consensus Model:
The purpose of the consensus model is that at each meeting, the members present will work towards building a consensus before decisions are taken. When an issue is being discussed, all members have the right to voice their opinion at the meeting. (If they are not present, there opinion can be sent via email, but they will not formally be considered as a present member). Members have the right to ask for a speakers list. At any time a member feels like the group is approaching agreement, a member can test for consensus.

Testing for consensus:
When a member tests for consensus, all present members have four options:
1) Agree: means that the member agrees with the proposition for which consensus is being tested. No explanation is given in the case of agreement.
2) Dissent with objection: means that member disagrees with proposition. Member explains dissent and discussion continues to find consensus.
3) Dissent with abstention: means that member disagrees with proposition, but is okay with the decision being taken by the group. Explanation is allowed.
4) Block: Means that member is strongly against the proposition and this acts as a veto. Explanation is required for a member to block a decision. Any new proposition must incorporate the reasons for the block for it to be considered.

Consensus, consensus with abstentions, and blocked decisions (with brief explanation) should be included in the minutes.

What goes to consensus:
1) Structural changes
2) Creation of working groups
3) Working group proposals that request support of GGFS as a whole
4) Endorsements
5) Projects

Working Groups:
GGFS creates working groups through consensus. GGFS members have the right to participate in any working group. Within working groups, consensus models will be used. Propositions from working groups are represented of the working group, not GGFS as a whole. Working groups have the option to ask GGFS for full support (i.e. ask GGFS as a whole to reach consensus on a proposition proposed by the working group.)

Queer Feminism as History Making - Keynote Address

2008-06-05T00:30:00.000-04:00

As part of the Queer Feminisms Symposium, we invite you to attend our keynote address by Professor M. Jacqui Alexander

Friday 6 June 2008
5pm
Thomson House Ballroom, 3650 McTavish (2nd floor)

Queer Feminism as History Making
Professor M. Jacqui Alexander's keynote address explores contemporary politics and what it means to have a transnational feminist and queer politics at this moment in history.

M. Jacqui Alexander is Professor of Women's Studies and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto, and is one of the most important theorists of transnational feminism working today. She is the author of Pedagogies of Crossing: Feminism, Sexual Politics and The Sacred, The Third Wave: Feminist Perspectives on Racism, and a coeditor of Sing, Whisper, Shout, Pray! Feminist Visions for a Just World and Feminist Genealogies, Colonial Legacies, Democratic Futures.

Note: This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Look OUT for It...Queer Feminisms Poster!

2008-05-23T21:03:00.000-04:00

Queer Feminisms Symposium: Final Schedule & Registration

2008-05-22T13:37:00.002-04:00

Final Schedule for Queer Feminisms Symposium

Date: Friday 6 June, 2008
Location: Thomson House Ballroom, 3650 McTavish, Montreal, QC
(see map below)

Schedule

12pm – 12:30pm
Registration

12:30pm – 1:30pm
Welcome Lunch

1:30pm - 3pm
Panel 1
- Melissa Autumn White
“Mobilizing Desire: On Affect, Regulation, and Transnational Queer Migration”
- KelleyAnne Malinen
“Butler’s ‘Lesbian Phallus’: Theorizing woman-to-woman sexual assault”
- Zanele Muholi
“Being   … an insider … making of radical black lesbian visibility in the post-post Apartheid South Africa”

3pm - 3:15pm
Break (15min)

3:15pm - 4:30pm
Panel 2
Queer Performance
Panelists: Ignacio Rivera & Osama bin Thuggin

4:30pm - 5pm
Break (30min w/ snack)

5pm - 6:30pm
Keynote
Dr. M. Jacqui Alexander
Professor of Women’s Studies
University of Toronto

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TO REGISTER
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Please email: ggfs.mcgill@gmail.com with the following information:
- Name
- Email
- Telephone Number
- Institutional Affiliation
- Dietary Restrictions/Preferences
- Accessibility Requirements

Please Note that the symposium is open to the public and free of charge, however we strongly encourage participants to register in advance so that we can ensure that there is enough food and refreshments.

Thomson House is wheelchair accessible. Please contact us before Monday 2 June 2008 if you require whisper translation into French.

View Larger Map

Queer Feminisms Symposium

2008-03-19T17:53:00.000-04:00

GGFS is organizing our third day-long symposium on June 6, 2008 at Thomson House. The symposium is intended to stimulate discussion of graduate students’ work in feminist, gender, sexuality, and women’s studies.

Papers will be presented on the topic of Queer Feminisms. Panel themes include: (1) Immigration, Citizenship and Movement; (2) Identity, Embodiment and Desire; (3) Queer Performance. With no concurrent sessions and respondents for each paper, this will be an intimate symposium conducive to workshop-style interaction between presenters and audience. There is no charge to attend the symposium and the anticipated attendance is in the range of 50 people.

The event will also feature a keynote address by renowned postcolonial feminist scholar Professor M. Jacqui Alexander (Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Toronto). As an expert on feminist, queer, and critical race theories, Dr. Alexander will be speaking on her work on transnational feminism. Her research explores North American feminism, queer studies and the transnational frameworks that foreground questions of colonialism, political economy, and racial formation. Dr. Alexander’s address, which will be open to the public, will help stimulate discussion of these timely issues.

Schedule

10am - 12pm
Panel 1 (2hrs, 3-4 speakers)
Immigration, Citizenship & Movement

12pm - 1:30pm
Lunch

1:30pm - 3pm
Panel 2 (1.5 hrs, 2-3 speakers)
Identity, Embodiment & Desire

3pm - 3:15pm
Break (15min)

3:15pm - 4:30pm
Panel 3 (1h15min, 2-3 speakers)
Queer Performance
Panelists: Ignacio Rivera & Osama bin Thuggin

4:30pm - 5pm
Break (30min w/ snack)

5pm - 6:30pm
Keynote
Dr. Jacqui Alexander
Professor of Women’s Studies
University of Toronto

Call For Papers - Queer Feminisms Symposium

2008-03-19T12:38:00.001-04:00

Call for Papers

QUEER FEMINISMS SYMPOSIUM
3rd Mapping Feminist Scholarship Symposium, Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship

Friday 6 June, 2008
10am-6:30pm
Thomson House Ballroom
3650 McTavish
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec

This symposium is intended to stimulate discussion of graduate students’ work in feminist, gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. We approach Queer Feminisms broadly as interdisciplinary work, theory and activism synthesizing queer and feminist perspectives and approaches.

This will be an intimate symposium, conducive to workshop-style interaction between presenters and audience. The symposium is comprised of a series of panels throughout the day, followed by a keynote address. Lunch and refreshments will be available for participants. In efforts to make the symposium accessible, this event is free of charge.

Our Keynote address will be given by renowned postcolonial feminist scholar Professor M. Jacqui Alexander (Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Toronto). As an expert on feminist, queer, and critical race theories, Dr. Alexander will be speaking on her work on transnational feminism. Her research explores North American feminism, queer studies and the transnational frameworks that foreground questions of colonialism, political economy, and racial formation.

We are seeking paper proposals for 2 panels on the following themes and possible (though not exhaustive) subtopics:

(I) Immigration, Citizenship & Movement
- migration, immigration, diaspora, transnationalism,
- social movements, activism, solidarity, resistance, law
- deportation, policing, borders/border control, documentation, passports and papers
- No One is Illegal, Sans Papiers, No Borders, Open Borders, etc.

(II) Identity, Embodiment & Desire
- media, policy, representation
- sexuality, bodies, class, race, (dis)ability
- desires, fetishization, exotification, sex work
- performativity, drag, passing, medicalization

Proposals should be no more than 500 words and sent to ggfs.mcgill@gmail.com by Monday 14 April 2008. Please include the panel theme your paper is best situated within and a short bio.

Proposals in French will be accepted, however the symposium will primarily be held in English.
Whisper translation will be available upon prior request.
Transportation expenses will not be covered by the symposium.
Thomson House is a wheelchair accessible location.

http://ggfsmcgill.blogspot.com
ggfs.mcgill@gmail.com

GGFS Activities for 2007-2008

2007-12-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the activities and events that members of GGFS are involved with and are organizing in 2007-2008

If you are interested in becoming involved in any of the following activities, or you would like to be added to the GGFS listserv and become a member, please email us at: ggfs.mcgill@gmail.com

- We host a bi-monthly writing group
- We have a feminist reading group
- We are currently organizing a Queer Feminisms Symposium for Spring 2008
- We are also currently organizing a panel on Islamic Feminism for Winter 2008
- We co-organized an event titled: Queer Resistance and the War on Terror: Renegotiating a Middle-Eastern Perspective on November 15 2007
- On November 9 2007, GGFS met with a group of scholars from Russia's State University - Higher School of Economics who were visiting Canada to study Gender Concepts & Mainstreaming to discuss GGFS's structure, activities, and strategies for organizing.

Queer Resistance and the War on Terror

2007-12-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

**francais suit en bas

QUEER RESISTANCE AND THE WAR ON TERROR: RE-
NEGOTIATING A MIDDLE EASTERN PERSPECTIVE

Thursday, November 15th, 5:30 pm
McGill University (855 Sherbrooke West)
Leacock Building 232

An evening of film and discussion focused on
contemporary representations of Iranian sexuality and
their relationship to imperialist discourses with
guest speaker Sima Shakhsari (Department of
Anthropology, Stanford University)

Film:
Out in Iran: Inside Iran's Secret Gay World (CBC
Documentary)
Out In Iran: Aired in September of 2007, Out in Iran
is a CBC documentary that examines the underground gay
community in Tehran.

Sima Shakhsari is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department
of Anthropology at Stanford University. Her
dissertation examines the Iranian immigrant
communities in Washington D.C. and Toronto and
explores the construction of sexed and gendered
Iranian diasporic subjectivities vis-à-vis
imaginations of homeland. Sima has worked in women’s
and immigrants rights organizations in San Francisco
for several years.

This event is an installment of the Out Against
Occupation series and is brought to you by:

QPIRG McGill, Graduate Group of Feminist Scholars,
Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Q-team, Zaafaran and
Tadamon!

********************

LA RÉSISTANCE QUEER ET LA “GUERRE AU TERRORISME” :
perspectives du Moyen-Orient

Jeudi le 15 novembre à 17h30
à l'Université McGill (855 Sherbrooke Ouest)
Pavillon Leacock, salle 232

Projection de film et discussion à propos des
représentations contemporaines de la sexualité en
Iran, et leur lien avec les discours impérialistes de
la soi-disant “guerre au terrorisme”. La discussion
aura lieu en présence de Sima Shakhsari, de la Faculté
d'anthropologie de l'Université Stanford.

Film:
“Out in Iran: Inside Iran's Secret Gay World”
(documentaire de la CBC)
Le film “Out in Iran” a été diffusé en septembre
dernier sur les ondes de CBC (Radio-Canada en
anglais). Il s'agit d'un documentaire sur la
communauté gaie underground de Téhéran.

Sima Shakhsari est étudiante au doctorat à la faculté
d'anthropologie de l'Université Stanford. Sa thèse
porte sur les communautés immigrantes iraniennes à
Washington et à Toronto, et explore la construction de
subjectivités sexuées/genrées au sein de la diaspora
iranienne, en rapport avec un imaginaire établi autour
du pays d'origine. Sima travaille à San Francisco
depuis plusieurs années, pour des organismes de
défense des droits des femmes et des immigrant-es.

Cette soirée a lieu dans le cadre de la série “Out”
contre l'Occupation.

Cet événement est organisé par:
le GRIP-McGill, le Groupe des cycles supérieurs en
études féministes (Graduate Group of Feminist
Scholars), l'Institut Simone de Beauvoir, Q-Team,
Zaafaran et Tadamon!

2007-05-29T12:24:00.000-04:00

FYI: The Option in Women’s and Gender Studies was passed by McGill Senate on May 9th! Please see below for the offering departments so far.

The first session of the core course in the program is being offered in Fall term:
WMST 601: Feminist Theories and Methods
Tuesdays, 2:30-5:30pm
Course convenes in W-5 Arts Bldg.
First floor of the west-wing of Arts Bldg.
Fall 2007
Prof. Carrie A. Rentschler,
Department of Art History and Communication Studies

Course description: WMST 601 is an intensive interdisciplinary graduate seminar that examines some of the major theories and research methodologies that orient current scholarly work in gender and women’s studies. The seminar’s emphasis will be placed on key themes in feminist research inquiry that cut a cross-disciplinary path through scholarly literatures in the humanities, social sciences and some natural sciences, including themes such as: the social construction of bodies and issues of embodiment, theories of sexual difference, practices of telling history, and queer and trans-sexuality studies, among several other topics. Seminar time will be split between lecture and discussion, inter-disciplinary faculty roundtable discussions, and student presentations. The course is open to Masters and Ph.D. students and fulfills one of the course requirements for the new Graduate Option in Gender and Women’s Studies as McGill University.

For more information on the Graduate Option, please contact Ms. Cy-Thea Sand at cy-thea.sand(AT)mcgill.ca. For more information on WMST 601, please contact Prof. Carrie Rentschler at carrie.rentschler(AT)mcgill.ca.

The Option is available to students enrolled in the following programs (new programs are being added).

Faculties of Arts and Science:

M.A. in Anthropology; Gender and Women’s Studies (48 cr.);

M.A. in Art History; Non-Thesis – Gender and Women’s Studies (45 cr.);

Ph.D. in Art History; Gender and Women’s Studies (0 cr.);

M.A. in French; Gender and Women’s Studies (48 cr.);

Ph.D. in French; Gender and Women’s Studies (0 cr.);

M.A. in Geography; Gender and Women’s Studies (48 cr.);

Ph.D. in Islamic Studies; Gender and Women’s Studies (0 cr.);

M.A. in Political Science; Non-Thesis – Gender and Women’s Studies (45 cr.);

M.A. in Sociology; Non-Thesis – Gender and Women’s Studies (45 cr.);

M.A. in Sociology; Gender and Women’s Studies (48 cr.); and

Ph.D. in Sociology; Gender and Women’s Studies (0 cr.).

2007-04-01T21:47:00.000-04:00

Queer Feminisms Call For Papers

2006-09-06T15:23:00.000-04:00

Join us for the annual Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship Meet & Greet, on Tuesday, September 26, 5-7 p.m.

Tentative schedule:

5-6 Panel: Feminist Research & Resources at McGill
Thomson House room 404 (3650 McTavish)

Assembling a dissertation committee; finding relevant, stimulating reading groups to join; hunting down journals that publish cutting edge research in your field... Whether you are just starting your degree or trying to finish your dissertation, it can be difficult to access the resources you need to do interdisciplinary research in the areas of women's/gender/sexuality/feminist studies.

Panelists:
Shree Mulay, Director of the McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women (MCRTW).
What is the MCRTW? What does it offer to graduate students?

Michelle Hartman, Assistant Professor, Institute for Islamic Studies/Chair, Women's Studies Advisory Committee.
Wondering about feminist/gender/sexuality/women's studies research that takes place at McGill and how to find faculty to work with?

Cornelia Penner, Women Studies Librarian, McGill.
What resources are available at the library for feminist research, and how can you find them...efficiently?

Cy-Thea Sand, MCRTW.
What is the upcoming graduate option in Gender, Women's and Sexuality studies?

Allison Harell, Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship Co-coordinator (2005-2006).
Speakerseries, annual symposium, reading groups, feminist activism...how can you get involved this year?

6-7 Meet & Greet
Thomson House Martha Crago Room (main floor) (3650 McTavish)
Mix it up with other graduate students with intersecting interests. Food will be served.

Everyone is welcome! Thomson House is a wheelchair-accessible venue.

2006-08-31T14:23:00.000-04:00

Mark your calendars...

The annual Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship "Meet & Greet" is scheduled for Tuesday, 26 September (5-7pm). Join us for a panel discussion of feminist research and resources at McGill, and stay for an informal gathering of graduate students involved in feminist, women's, gender, sexuality, and critical race studies. Location TBA. Stay tuned for more details.

2006-08-24T23:53:00.000-04:00

An announcement about an upcoming fundraising event in Montréal for the Sanayeh Relief Centre operating in Beirut. If you can't make it to this event, consider supporting the Centre's work on the frontlines of the carnage in Lebanon by sending a donation.

QPIRG McGill and Tadamon! present :

OUT AGAINST THE OCCUPATION!
A FUNDRAISER FOR THE SANAYEH RELIEF CENTRE IN BEIRUT

Wednesday, August 30 2006
Doors at 9 pm, Performance 10 pm
Club Lambi, 4465 blvd. St-Laurent (coin Mont-Royal)
Pay What You Can/Suggested Donation: 5-20$
map

FEATURING
Screenings:
A Public Service Announcement from Electronic Lebanon
From Beirut to… those who love us, a video by Beirut DC film and
cinema collective
Poetry:
Trish Salah
Speakers:
Nayrouz from ASWAT (a Palestinian Gay Women's Group)
talks about negotiating a queer Arab Identity while resisting
occupation and Israeli apartheid.
Performance:
Radical Drag by Osama Bin Thuggin (Condoleza Rice and
Dick Cheney like you've never seen them before…)
Drag Performance by Farah Abdill and guest
Dj's Leila P., Kandis and more laying down beats
from Hip Hop to Arab Pop!

Translation available (English, French and Arabic)
Club Lambi is NOT wheel chair accessible

For more information:
Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill University
3647 University, 3rd Floor
Montreal, Quebec, H3Z 2P8 CANADA
Tel. 514-398-7432 / Fax. 514-398-8976

2006-06-10T14:32:00.000-04:00

Here are some images from yesterday's "Mapping Feminist Scholarship/Tracer les Études Féministes" symposium and public keynote lecture, delivered by Sherene Razack (OISE/UofT).

One of the goals of the symposium was to bring anglophone and francophone feminist scholars into conversation, and to help build a feminist community in Montréal that transcends lines of linguistic difference. Another was to connect feminist research to feminist activism, revitalizing the inter-discipline of women's studies. A third was to give graduate students and new scholars a chance to present their work in an inter-disciplinary feminist context.

About 50 people participated in the day-long symposium, and the lecture was standing room only - over 120 people came to hear Dr. Razack talk about "The 'Sharia Law Debate' in Ontario: The Modernity/Pre-modernity Distinction in Legal Efforts to Protect Women from Culture".

The organizers (Anna Carastathis, Andrea Connors, Anna Feigenbaum, Allison Harell and Natalie Kouri-Towe) would like to thank all who participated! Special thanks to Allison Gonsalves (who was a massive help on the day of!), Liz Kirkland (who is writing a report on the symposium), Raphaëlle Beaulieu (who did English-to-French translation of the paper abstracts) and Helen Hudson (who recorded the public lecture for CKUT radio).

(Left to right) Anjali Abraham (Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University) presenting her paper "What's Love Got to Do With It? Women, Teaching, and Global Education Reform" on the panel on "Women, Work, and the Global Economy." Marlène Helias (Department of Geography, McGill University) also presented on this panel. Allison Harell (Department of Political Science, McGill University), one of the symposium organizers, moderated the panel and commented on the papers.

(Left to right) Panelists Joshua Philbrook (Department of Political Science, Concordia University), Benjamin Persett (Department of Political Science, University of Connecticut) and Panel Moderator/Commentator Anna Feigenbaum (Department of Communications and Art History, McGill University), also one of the symposium organizers.

Liz Meyer (Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University), a member of GGFS, listening to a presentation.

An engaged audience. (Left to right) Back row, Jessica Wurster, member of GGFS. Next row, Trish Salah, Aiyyana Maracle (symposium presenter). Against the wall in background: Raphaëlle Beaulieu (translator). Next row: Anjali Abraham (symposium presenter) and Sherene Razack (keynote). Front-most row: Liz Kirkland, member of GGFS.

Sometimes the best conversations happen during the break! Elizabeth Elbourne, chair of the women's studies program at McGill speaking with symposium presenter Catherine Girard (Université de Montréal), (facing away from camera).

Allison Gonsalves, member of GGFS and invaluable symposium volunteer, listening to a presentation from the sidelines.

(Left to right) Symposium presenter Debbie Lunny (Concordia University) and participant Yvonne Ellis.

Symposium participant Trish Salah (Simone de Beauvoir Institute, McGill University). Shown here taking a break from asking tough questions!

(Left to right) Participant Yvonne Ellis and symposium organizer Andrea Connors (Université de Montréal).

(Left to right) Symposium presenters Alex Anber (Department of Art History, Concordia University), Eve-Marie Lampron (Université de Montréal, Département d'Histoire), and Marlène Helias (Department of Geography, McGill University) listening to another presentation.

(Left to right) McGill Law student and Rami Nijjar (Concordia University) at the reception prior to the keynote address.

(Left to right) Bryan and Thierry chatting at the reception.

Lively conversations and laughter at the reception. (Left to right) Alia Al-Saji (Department of Philosophy, McGill University) gesticulating in conversation with Sherene Razack; Bryan Smyth (Department of Philosophy, McGill University) laughing at something his interlocutor said.

Allison Harell introducing the keynote speaker, Sherene Razack.

Sherene Razack.

Standing room only in Thomson House ballroom - over 120 people came to hear Sherene Razack speak.

We are grateful to Sherene Razack for her enthusiastic participation in the second annual symposium!

Photographs by Anna Carastathis. Please do not reproduce without permission. E-mail ggfs {dot} mcgill {at} gmail {dot} com for photographs.

2006-05-24T12:16:00.000-04:00

Mapping Feminist Scholarship / Tracer les Études Féministes

REVISED SCHEDULE / HORAIRE RÉVISÉ
last update: 5 june 2006

Here is the revised schedule for the second annual "mapping feminist scholarship / tracer les études féministes" symposium, to be held on Friday June 9 at Thomson House, 3650 rue McTavish (see map).

SCHEDULE/HORAIRE

8h30 Registration / Inscription

9h00 Welcome / Bienvenue
Shree Mulay, Director/Directrice, McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women

9h15 – 10h30 Session 1: Race, Space, and Place
[1] Tracey Nicholls, Centre de Recherche en Éthique, Université de Montréal: Following Haiti's Lead: Radical possibilities for de-ontologizing race and gender
[2] Aiyyana Maracle, McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women, McGill University: Indigenous Contemporary Realities: Neocolonialism and Decolonization
[3] Sarah Waisvisz, Department of English, McGill University: Fugitive Rhythms: Re-Imagining Diasporic Caribbean Canadian Communities in Dionne Brand's 'What We All Long For'

10h30 Coffee break / Pause-Café

10h45 – 12h00 Session 2: L'art et le corps
[1] Catherine Girard, Département d'histoire de l'art, Université de Montréal: Les résistances d'un portrait: vers une décolonisation de l'histoire de l'art
[2] Alex Anber, Department of Art History, Concordia University: Mona Hatoum's Corps étranger
[3] Rachel Lauzon, Département d'histoire de l'art, Université Concordia: Identité, corporalité et automatisation: La répresentation du corps chez Vanessa Beecroft et les enjeux qu'elle soulève

12h00 Lunch / Dejeuner

12h45 – 13h45 Session 3: Women, Work and the Global Economy
[1] Marlène Elias, Department of Geography, McGill University: Bridging Women's Worlds: Global Markets, Fair Trade, and African Shea Butter
[2] Anjali Abraham, Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University: What's love got to do with it? Women, Teaching and Global Education Reform

13h50 – 14h50 Session 5. Les conceptions et la pratique du féminisme
[1] Eve-Marie Lampron, Département d'Histoire, Université de Montréal: Entre solidarité feminine et solidarités féministes: enjeux théoriques et applications pratiques
[2] Debbie Lunny, Humanities Program, Concordia University : Un/learning solidarity through transnational feminist activism

14h50 Break / Pause

15h05 – 16h05 Session 4: Gendered Human Rights in International Politics
[1] Joshua Philbrook, Department of Political Science, Concordia University : Western Wombs, African Aliases
[2] Benjamin Persett, Department of Political Science, University of Connecticut: Speaking Queerly: U.S. Foreign Policy Making, Queer Theory, and the Human Rights of Sexual Minorities

17h00 Reception / Réception *

18h00 – 19h30 Keynote Address /Discours-Programme *
Sherene Razack, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education (SESE), Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto: The 'Sharia Law Debate' in Ontario: The Modernity/Premodernity Distinction in Legal Efforts to Protect Women From Culture

See Keynote abstract/biography here (or scroll down...) (désolée, le résumé et l'historique sont disponibles seulement en anglais pour le moment).

* présenté avec l'Institut d' études islamiques, Université McGill / co-presented with the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS), McGill University.

2006-05-23T11:03:00.000-04:00

We are delighted to welcome Sherene Razack, professor of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto, as our keynote speaker. This event is co-presented with the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. Everyone is welcome and there is no cost to attend. Join us for refreshments at 5:00 p.m. Professor Razack's address will begin at 6:00 p.m. This is a wheelchair-accessible venue. See map here.

Professor Razack will be speaking on "The ‘Sharia Law Debate’ in Ontario: The Modernity/Premodernity Distinction in Legal Efforts to Protect Women From Culture".

Abstract: The normative figure in Western feminism remains the liberal autonomous individual of modernity. ‘Other’ women are those who have their freedom to choose restricted. Typically, ‘other’ women are those burdened by culture and hindered by their communities from entering modernity. If we remain in the terrain of thinking about women as vulnerable or imperilled, and some women as particularly imperilled, as we generally do of Muslim women, we remain squarely within the framework of patriarchy understood as abstracted from all other systems. A modernity/premodernity distinction will continue to invade any projects intending to help Muslim women. This paper shows the persistence of the modernity/premodernity distinction in contemporary debates around applying Sharia law to the settlement of family law disputes under the Arbitration Act in Ontario, Canada. I argue below that in their concern to curtail conservative and patriarchal forces within the Muslim community, Canadian feminists (both Muslim and Non-Muslim) utilized frameworks that installed a secular/religious divide that functions as a colour line, marking the difference between the modern, enlightened West, and tribal, religious Muslims. I suggest that feminist responses might have helped to sustain a new form of governmentality, one in which the productive power of the imperilled Muslim woman functions to keep in line Muslim communities at the same time that it defuses more radical feminist and anti-racist critique of conservative religious forces.

Professor Razack's research and teaching interests lie in the area of race and gender issues in the law. Her most recent book is Dark Threats and White Knights: The Somalia Affair, Peacekeeping and the New Imperialism (University of Toronto Press, 2004). Previous books include an edited collection Race, Space and the Law: Unmapping A White Settler Society (Toronto: Between the Lines, 2002), Looking White People in the Eye: Gender, Race, and Culture in Courtrooms and Classrooms (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998,1999, 2000) and Canadian Feminism and the Law: The Women’s Legal and Education Fund and the Pursuit of Equality (Toronto: Second Story Press, 1991). She has also published articles on Canadian national mythologies and immigration policies of the 1990s, race, space and prostitution, and gendered racism. She is a founding and coordinating committee member of Researchers and Academics of Colour for Equality (R.A.C.E.).

Related Links:

Buy Race, Space and the Law from Between the Lines.

Buy Looking White People in the Eye and Dark Threats and White Knights from University of Toronto Press.

See Professor Razack's webpage at OISE/UofT

See the website of the 5th Annual Conference of Researchers and Academics of Colour for Equality (R.A.C.E.), at the University of Regina, May 4-6, 2006. The conference theme is “The Race/Culture Divide in Education, Law and the Helping Professions”.

Check out the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University, co-presenters of this event.

2006-05-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

To register for the second annual "Mapping Feminist Scholarship / Tracer les Études Féministes" symposium, which will be held on Friday June 9, 2006 at McGill University, e-mail us at ggfs {dot} mcgill {at} gmail {dot} com.
There is no cost to attend and everyone is welcome! This is a wheelchair accessible venue.

2006-04-11T12:46:00.000-04:00

Some photographs from the "Save SACOMSS" demonstration, yesterday, Monday April 10. Over 300 students, faculty, staff, and members of the Montréal community converged at the Roddick Gates and marched to the James Administration building, protesting the administration's eviction of SACOMSS, and demanding space for the sexual assault centre.

balloons

A crowd gathers in front of the Roddick Gates

SACOMSS listens to students. The administration should too!

Consensual sex is hot, Mcgill admin is not.

McGill Principal Heather "I am not a feminist" Munroe-Blum repeatedly referred to SACOMSS as a "student club" during last year's eviction. SACOMSS is not a club; it's an essential service provided by students to anyone who seeks it: faculty, staff, students, and members of the Montréal community.

SACOMSS supporter speaking truth to power.

SACOMSS was founded in 1991, the first of its kind in North America.

SACOMSS services are provided at no cost to survivors of sexual assault and their allies.

Natalie walking toward the Roddick Gates.

Student at rally in front of the Roddick Gates.

Student in rally in front of the Roddick Gates.

Signs.

The march begins!

Vera & Andrew.

Cy-Thea, Carrie & Allison in the background.

On the march.

Side view of the "Consensual Love Shack", a structure exactly the size that SACOMSS needs to operate its confidential night-office: 70 square feet.

Allison.

SACOMSS supporters on the march.

SACOMSS supporters on the march.

Rachel with the megaphone.

A photo of Allison taking a photo of demonstrators.

Indu & Leila of QPIRG McGill.

Still marching ...

In front of the James Administration Building.

Shot of the crowd in front of James Admin. Bldg.

Fiona & Diana, women's studies students.

Security guarding the James Admin. Bldg.

Sexual Assault is Everyone's Issue.

Not Afraid / There for You.

Marcelle, SACOMSS volunteer, giving a speech.

Marcelle's speech.

Marcelle's speech

Aaron, SSMU president-elect, giving a speech.

Carrie, professor in the Art History and Communications department, giving a speech.

Carrie's speech.

Demonstrators listening to Carrie's speech.

Demonstrators listening to Carrie's speech.

McGill alumnus giving a speech.

Speech.

Speech.

Allison clapping.

Malek, undergraduate student, giving a speech.

Not afraid.

Musical interlude ...

...continued.

Caitlin and Alix, women's studies students, performing radical cheers.

Radical Cheerleaders.

Radical Cheerleaders.

Radical Cheerleaders.

Radical Cheerleaders.

Adrian.

Necessary.

Yum, Yum! Heather Munroe-Blum Eats Student Space for Breakfast.

There for You.

The Shack, being carried to James Admin. Bldg.

Helen, CKUT reporter, standing by the shack.

Lurid shot of Annaf's thigh.

On the march again!

The "SAVE SACOMSS" banner being dropped from the roof of the Arts Building.

Martin & Francesca dropping the banner.

Students, not afraid.

SACOMSS is your space.

Encounter with Campus Security.

Outside the private University Club, where the McGill Board of Governors was meeting.

Clueless man entering University Club.

Closed doors. We were threatened with arrest if we attempted to enter the University Club, a private club. However, Board of Governors meetings are, in theory, open to the McGill public. Public meetings in private clubs?

The fight to win SACOMSS permanent space on campus continues! For updates and more information, visit Save SACOMSS!

2006-04-09T23:04:00.000-04:00

The Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students' Society (SACOMSS) has been evicted by the administration of McGill University.
Students, faculty, staff, and the broader Montréal community are protesting this decision tomorrow, Monday, April 10, and demanding space for SACOMSS, and space for students.

****************************************
SAVE SACOMSS!
Get Mad. Take Action. Save SACOMSS.
Demonstration

MONDAY, APRIL 10
2 p.m.
Roddick Gates, McGill University
(Sherbrooke at McGill College)
****************************************

Bring noisemakers, musical instruments, pots, drums ... Make some Noise! Demand that the administration of McGill University stop the eviction of the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students' Society.

2006-04-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

SACOMSS (the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students' Society) has been evicted from its confidential night-office AGAIN by the McGill University administration.

This is the second time in less than a year that the administration has given SACOMSS eviction notice -- with no alternate location provided. Last year, GGFS launched a solidarity campaign to demand that SACOMSS be relocated by the administration, which was -- if only temporarily -- successful. A year later, with an irrepressible sense of déjà vu, the struggle continues.

To find out how to support SACOMSS and survivors of sexual assault visit the "Save SACOMSS" website or e-mail the coalition at savesacomss {at} gmail {dot} com.

2006-03-27T19:50:00.000-05:00

EDUCATION IS A RIGHT
Day of Action
Thursday, March 30, 2:00 p.m.
Berri Square (a.k.a. Parc Emilie Gamelin)
corner of Berri & Ste-Catherine
March to Charest's office demanding accessible public education!

and the night before...

A RED SQUARE ON MY HEART
Wednesday, March 29, 8:00 p.m.
El Salon, 4388 St-Laurent
a night of music, culture, and politics celebrating student struggles
sliding scale $5-$7

Organised by the Coalition for Accessible Public Education (CAPE). For more information, visit CAPE's website.

2006-03-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

This is the second annual lecture series organized by the Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship. It is an opportunity to learn about the feminist research that members of GGFS are doing, in various disciplines at McGill.

Click on image to enlarge.

2006-03-08T20:39:00.000-05:00

Some images from today's International Women's Day March in Montréal, organized by the March 8 Committee of Women of Diverse Origins. A small but hearty contingent from GGFS took to the streets, for the second consecutive year.

Global Feminism / Social Transformation ... The GGFS banner is in background

"Nous appuyons la lutte des femmes iraniennes pour la démocratie, l'égalité, la justice, et la paix" / We support the struggle of Iranian women for democracy, equality, justice and peace

Speaker from L'Association des Femmes Iraniennes

"Qui décide? Nous décidons!" / Who decides? We decide!

Shot of the crowd

2006-03-05T22:38:00.000-05:00

According to a study published by the Canadian Association of University Teachers,

In 2003-04, women made up just less than 32% of the full-time academic work force in Canada... When compared with other Anglo-American countries, Canada fares the poorest in terms of the overall share of women in the academic work force.

The full report, with data about gender breakdowns of casual, tenured and tenure-track, part- and full-time educational workers, is available here in a downloadable .pdf.

2006-03-03T18:44:00.000-05:00

2006-03-03T16:43:00.000-05:00

Join us for a workshop on identifying and countering anti-feminist backlash, in its many manifestations!

Countering Backlash Against Feminism
Thursday March 16
2:00-3:30 p.m.
Thomson House room 405

Panelists will include:

Carrie Rentschler, Communication Studies

Suzanne Staggenborg, Sociology

members of the Union for Gender Empowerment

for more information, email us: ggfs.mcgill {at} gmail.com
This workshop is organized by GGFS. Everyone is welcome!

Part of More Social More Justice More Days, organized by Campus Coalition of Progressive McGill Students.

2006-02-17T23:49:00.000-05:00

Exciting news!

Sherene Razack has agreed to give the keynote address at the second annual "Mapping Feminist Scholarship/Tracer les Études Féministes" symposium.

Sherene Razack is professor of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.

Professor Razack's publications include:

Dark Threats and White Knights: The Somalia Affair, Peacekeeping and the New Imperialism (University of Toronto Press, 2004)

Race, Space and the Law: Unmapping a White Settler Society (Toronto: Between the Lines, 2002)

Looking White People in the Eye: Gender, Race, and Culture in Courtrooms and Classrooms (Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1998, 1999, 2000)

Canadian Feminism and the Law: The Women's Legal and Education Fund and the Pursuit of Equality (Toronto: Second Story Press, 1991).

2006-02-12T13:11:00.000-05:00

A print-friendly version of the symposium CFP. Click on image to enlarge.

2006-02-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

CALL FOR PAPERS
Second Annual "Mapping Feminist Scholarship/
Tracer les Études Féministes" Symposium
Click on image to enlarge.

2006-02-05T19:37:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,
Susan Sontag died not long ago and now Betty Friedan.
Any reactions?
--Emmanuelle.

2006-02-01T13:24:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the blog of the Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship (GGFS).

GGFS is a network of graduate students at McGill University, Montréal, Canada, who are engaged in research in feminist, queer, sexuality, gender and women's studies. GGFS organizes reading groups, a speakerseries, workshops, and an annual symposium, in addition to being a politically active feminist presence in the campus community.

This is a virtual space for feminist dialogue. It's not intended to be a forum for proving the invalidity of the feminist project. So please respect the following rules of engagement -- posts and comments may be removed if they do not adhere to these three simple rules:

1. Be respectful of other contributors.
2. No racist-sexist-misogynistic-transphobic-homophobic-heterosexist-islamophobic-culturalist-ableist-or-other-such shit.
3. Go on anti-feminist tirades elsewhere; i.e., not here.