Hi all,
Araby Smyth (University of Kentucky) and I are organizing a panel
discussion to take place at the 2017 DOPE Conference in Lexington, KY:
"Strategies
for action and solidarity on our campuses amid contexts of state-sanctioned
violence, repression, and hatred: a conversation"
Please see the attached CFP (call for panelists), also pasted below. Send
us an email if you are interested in participating ([log in to unmask]
and [log in to unmask]) *by Tuesday, December 13*. In your email, please
include a brief description of your contribution to this conversation.
Call for Panelists
Dimensions of Political Ecology (DOPE) Conference
Lexington, KY
February 24-25, 2017
*Strategies for action and solidarity on our campuses amid contexts of
state-sanctioned violence, repression, and hatred: a conversation*
In the short time that has passed since the November 8, 2016
presidential election, we have seen a terrifying combination of increases
in reports of hate crimes, and the steady development of a presidential
administration that emphasizes white supremacy, an anti-immigrant agenda,
and general disregard for the lives of all people who are Othered by the
white supremacist capitalist patriarchy (hooks, 1984). A report issued by
the Southern Poverty Law Center states that in the ten days immediately
following the election, 867 hate incidents were reported, from almost every
state in the US. The majority of these attacks targeted people of color and
Muslims, or people perceived by the harasser to be Muslim. A significant
number of these incidents have occurred on university campuses (
splcenter.org, 2016: 6).
This panel is an opportunity for collective strategizing about
how people working on university and college campuses in the US might be
able to support students and peers who are the potential targets of such
hatred and abuse. Incidences of harassment and violence are on the rise
already, before the president-elect has even taken office. As such, those
of us in relatively privileged positions, whether because of the
opportunities granted through secure tenured employment, through a
supportive campus climate, or though one’s embodied positionality within
hegemonic social institutions, are in positions to challenge the violence
and hatred that can be expected to continue throughout the coming
presidential administration. Events on our campuses since the election
confirm first, that many of our students and colleagues are very concerned
and second, that they have reason to be. Campus protests began immediately
following the election, as thousands of students nationwide held campus
walk-outs, protests, and marches, and over 165 schools have called for
their campuses to be spaces of sanctuary for immigrants.
Ultimately, this panel will be a space to share ideas, brainstorm, and
strategize collectively around the importance of support and solidarity for
those who are most targeted by a presidential administration that is
unapologetically white supremacist. We ask that panelists offer initial
thoughts of no more than five minutes each, and then we will hear
contributions from others in the room.
If you are interested in participating in this panel at DOPE, 2017, please
email [log in to unmask] and [log in to unmask] *by Tuesday December
13th*.
*References*
Southern Poverty Law Center (2016). *Ten Days After: Harassment and
Intimidation in the Aftermath of the Election*. Montgomery, AL: Southern
Poverty Law Center.
https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/com_hate_incidents_report_final.pdf
hook, b. (1984). *Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center*. Cambridge MA:
South End Press.
--
Dr. Carrie Mott
<http://geography.rutgers.edu/people/faculty-core/472-faculty-tba>
Department of Geography
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
