Breaking the ‘Silence’: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Gender Exploitation and Resistance

A Two-Day International Conference

Concept Note

‘Exploitation, ‘violence, and ‘resistance’ are terms intertwined in the complex concept of Gender. The conference intends to discuss the ways in which these augmentations of the true idea of ‘gender’ occupy the sites of culture, academia, media, literature, art, philosophy, linguistics, discourse and critical theory. The prominence of gender bias, exploitation, violence and resistance in South and Southeast Asia’s rich literary fabric is undeniable. Understanding and analysing such literature offers readers an opportunity to empathise with characters’ experiences and gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the emotional and psychological aspects of gender-based violence, often in the forms of ‘slow violence’ (Nixon 2011). In addition, the pivotal role of films, television shows and online media in consolidating the trajectories of gender-based violence and perpetrations stands undeniable. Through films, the fictional narratives, depicted through these mediums, however, also aid readers to develop empathy for survivors. Nonetheless, the crucial contribution of these mediums in deep-rooting gender roles and bias and normalising gender-based exploitation further seems problematic and questionable in the present day. Additionally, our quotidian language too is laden with gender expectations and prejudices. Gender bias, gender-based violence, exploitation, and resistance, thus, are scenarios common across all major terrains of English studies. This interdisciplinary conference on gender, therefore, aims to bring together participants from all academic fields to engage in wide-ranging conversations and multifaceted exchanges on “normative” gender role assumptions, gender-based marginalisation, violence, exploitation, resistance, capitulation, negotiations and the like from domains of literature, linguistics and popular culture. By fostering a deeper understanding of these dynamics, the conference aims to contribute to the advancement of gender scholarship and promote social justice and equality.

Important Dates

  • Deadline: October 15, 2024
  • Decision: October 30, 2024
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