Call For Papers:


Intersectionality: Life at the Borders

The University of Georgia Graduate Association of Multicultural Studies is now soliciting abstracts of no more than 500 words for our 2nd Annual Graduate Conference, themed Intersectionality, to be held at the University of Georgia, in Athens, Georgia, September 24-25, 2004.

The turn within Ethnic Studies of late has been concentrated on the transgressing of borders and boundaries. In keeping with this idea, we would like to go further, to examine those that live at the borders. Borrowing from Feminist Studies and Critical Race Theory, we would like to examine those who dwell within and without of two or more different worlds, and their representations within literature and other fields of study. We define Intersectionality as the potential exclusion of a person based upon more than one characteristic, where the combination of these characteristics causes the individual.s marginalization. In other words, a black woman could be discriminated against on the basis of her race by other women, or on the basis of her gender by black men. Our hope is that by identifying and studying these multiple sites of oppression, we may be able to understand and overcome them.

  • Intersectionality of Location: Place and Identity
  • Transgressing the Ethnic and Cultural in Authorial Identity
  • Diversity within the Workplace
  • New American Immigrant Identity
  • Interdisciplinary Literature: Using History, Anthropology, Folklore, and Science
  • Power within the Margins: Intersecting Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality
  • Alternative Genres: Intersecting Native American and African American Literatures
  • Linguistic Identities
  • Mixed Race Identities
  • Pidgin and Creole Identities in Language

The above list is just a starting point. We invite you to interpret intersectionality in its broadest senses. While abstracts approaching the theme are especially solicited, we also welcome any submissions of an Ethnic Studies/Multicultural Studies approach. In keeping with the spirit of this discipline, we particularly value and encourage interdisciplinary papers. A $150 prize will also be awarded to the best conference paper by a graduate student.

Please submit abstracts of no more than 500 words by April 30, 2004, either by email or snail mail to Anastasia Wright 254 Park Hall University of Georgia Athens, GA 30605 stasia@uga.edu.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact either Anastasia Wright, or Tiffany Boyd Adams.