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In addition to the call for papers and roundtables, this year AtGender explicitly invites proposals for “[m]aterialized practices designed to rupture the academic-conference-machine” (Osgood et. al. 2020). We welcome proposals for any type of engagement with the theme of the conference (or one or more of the conference streams) that “put ‘what if’ [Haraway 2016] to work, so that we might […] bring in the ‘what else’ [Manning 2016]” (Osgood et. al., 2020). What if academic knowledge were produced, shared, and enacted differently within and around the conference space? What else may be enabled by material practices and encounters that do not fit in, but instead disrupt or transform the conventional format of the academic conference in some way?
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For example: how can more neurodiverse ways of sensing and sensemaking be actualized as a way to decenter the neurotypical operations of academic conferences? How may bodily practices such as walking, dancing, crafting, or cooking enable encounters that challenge or disrupt socially and institutionally embedded hierarchies? How might our conference generate “permaculture practices” of care, by cultivating spaces of regeneration for those that do the caring for the matters of our collective care? (de la Bellacasa, 2017: 163).
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Selected contributions will be offered as a parallel stream of sessions alongside and in addition to the panels and roundtables. We therefore invite proposals for workshops, performances, bodily practices, and any other type of encounter that can be practically organized and engaged with in and around the conference space. Such encounters may include:
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(Ad)venturing outside the conference space: (sensory) walks; exploring urban ecology and its tension zones; sensing more-than-human worlds; clubbing
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(Artistic) cocreation: collaborative writing; speculative fabulation and collective worldbuilding; exploring “art-as-way” (Manning, 2020)
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Practices of resilience and regeneration: meditation and breathwork; rituals; seeking silence; exploring idleness
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Creative or skills-oriented workshops: zinemaking; crafting; mending and repair; independent publishing
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Engaging affect: creating brave(r) spaces; deep listening; attuning with the senses
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Creating spaces of care and conviviality: cooking; cleaning; games and play; dancing
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Performances: poetry; music; dance; theatre
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We also welcome proposals for other formats that explore the possibilities for “conferencing otherwise”. To submit your proposal, please submit a brief (500 words) description of the activity you want to organize, connecting it to the theme of the conference or one or more of the streams.
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In addition to this description, please also provide the following information:
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Minimum and maximum number of participants. Will participants be required to sign up in advance, or is the number of participants flexible?
Will participants need to bring/wear/prepare anything in advance (i.e. an item to repair; a raincoat or umbrella in case of rain; comfortable clothing; a laptop)?
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Minimum and maximum duration of the activity (keeping in mind that most participants will also be looking forward to attending and participating in panels and roundtable discussions)
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Spatial requirements: how much space will you need? Are there any other requirements with regards to the space?
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Material requirements: will you bring these materials yourself or do you need the organization to arrange for certain items or materials to be present? What will be the estimated material cost of the activity?