Conference Program
The full program can now be downloaded for a conference schedule, workshops and panellists.
conference program pdf
conference program doc
Venue
The Feminist Futures Conference will be held across two venues :
1. The North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
2. The Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne
All Panels on the Saturday and Sunday mornings will be held in the main hall of the North Melbourne Town Hall. All workshops will be held on Saturday afternoon at the Meat Market.
Access
Entry to the Main Hall of the Town Hall is via the Main Foyer. The Main Foyer is accessed via stairs from Queensberry St. or ramp (suitable for wheelchair access) from the western lane off Errol St
The Meat market is at ground level and is therefore fully wheelchair accessible.
Feminist Futures Conference
Feminist Futures is a conference organised by the Melbourne Feminist Collective that aims to provide a safe, supportive and active space for discussing different strategies to create a feminist future. It is an open environment for anyone interested in imagining and creating feminist futures in our community.
Participants will have the opportunity to critically engage with issues across a broad range of feminist perspectives and agendas. The lack of unity within the feminist movement is sometimes depicted as a sign of its failure or weakness. However, we believe that difference and disagreement contribute to the movement’s strength and vitality. The existence of different agendas and objectives allows for multiple goals to be pursued simultaneously, while ideological differences between feminist groups promote constructive criticism and debate. We believe that this is essential for the health and integrity of the feminist movement. Robust debate enables feminists to build strong bonds of solidarity, guards against uncritical stances and allows a number of different voices to be heard.
Aims
Feminist Futures seeks to reclaim the concept of “feminism” as a positive and necessary political ideal that is of direct relevance to the everyday lives of women and men. It aims to cultivate positive relationships between groups and individuals within the feminist movement by bringing them together to engage in thoughtful dialogue and constructive criticism of shared goals and strategies.
Feminist Futures also seeks to encourage those who are curious about feminism but who perhaps do not identify as feminist or are unfamiliar with feminism’s aims and issues, to become involved in the movement. Feminist Futures provides an open and welcoming space for all levels of interest and experience. The conference will be guided by the principles of honesty, trust and mutual respect.
Feminist Futures will also celebrate the increasing strength of the feminist movement, and challenge the view that we are living in a ‘post-feminist’ society.
In brief, Feminist Futures aims to:
- Raise awareness of a number of key feminist issues.
- Create practical networks and connections across the feminist movement and facilitate increased involvement in campaigns and activities.
- Foster respectful debate and discussion around feminist issues.
- Remove the stigma associated with feminism.
- Reach out to women and men who do not currently identify as feminists.
Structure
The conference will run for one and a half days from the 28th to the 29th of May 2011. There will be themed panel discussions featuring prominent feminists who will represent many different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Each panel will consist of four speakers who will present their positions and open up debate on the topics of 'Why Feminism Matters', 'Feminism and Intersectionality', and 'Feminist Futures'. After each panel, conference participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments and offer suggestions in a supportive and respectful atmosphere.
In addition to the panel discussions, there will be various workshops held throughout both days of the conference. These 50-minute workshops will be interactive learning experiences and discussions focusing on specific feminist issues. The workshops will allow participants to actively engage with issues in their own areas of interest and will provide the opportunity for organisations and individuals to communicate their goals and discuss strategies for moving forward together.
Contributions
If you are interested in running a workshop, giving a performance or artistic demonstration or would like to contribute in any other way, contact the MFC at:
feministfutures@gmail.com
|
