Rhetoric & Relevance: An Investigation into the Present & Future of Feminist Legal Theory
The
Michigan Journal of Gender & Law is excited to announce a Symposium entitled "Rhetoric & Relevance: An Investigation into the Present & Future of
Feminist Legal Theory." The Symposium will take place on Friday, February 13, 2009.
It is popular sentiment that feminism is somewhat dated and anachronistic, that women have more or less achieved equality, and that there really is not much
left to fight for. However, this idea is belied by the persistence of violence and discrimination against women both nationally and internationally, by the
statistical data that continue to reflect large economic gaps between men and women, and by the fact that even the most "successful" women in this country
continue to struggle with balancing their traditional place in family life against the demands of a male-driven professional world. "The Future of Feminist
Legal Theory" is a broad topic that suggests endless questions and iterations. Our Symposium will utilize several areas of the law to highlight the existence
of various feminisms and to analyze the same problem from differing viewpoints. The goal is to take stock of how feminist legal theory is currently being
"done" in order to begin to understand where the future lies for women and for feminism. To that end, we are working to form panels of both established
and up-and-coming feminist legal scholars in multiple areas of legal inquiry, including transgender issues, consent, and privacy in cyberspace.
Poster
Panels
Panel I
Privacy and the Cyberfuture
Both activism and academics in virtually every field of interest have found new forums in the online world of blogs, message boards, and article
repositories. This corresponds with the increasing digitalization of many aspects of life. This panel will explore the particularly feminist concerns about
privacy and the internet.
Panel II
Transgenderism(s)
Increasing awareness (and acceptance) of the spectrum of gendered and sexed identities experienced by many individuals has come to clash with the rigid
categorization of sexes under the law. How the legal system deals with these issues has complex implications for our understanding of equality.
Panel III
Consent
Consent is a hotly-debated element of rape and sexual assault law, and it has arisen as an even greater site of conflict in legislating around sexual
practices such as BDSM. Consent and choice are often considered to be fraught concepts in a feminist analysis of the law.
Schedule
Friday, February 13th
8:45 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
9:20 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Julia Ernst
Adjunct Professor of Law; Executive Director, Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program, Georgetown University Law Center
9:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Panel I: Privacy and the Cyberfuture
Ann M. Bartow
Professor of Law, University of South Carolina School of Law
Debora Halbert
Professor of Political Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Jessica Litman
John F. Nickoll Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
Moderator: Beth Wilensky
Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
11:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
(provided for participants only)
1:30 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.
Panel II: Transgenderism(s)
Julie Greenberg
Professor of Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Marybeth Herald
Professor of Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Mark Strasser
Trustees Professor of Law, Capital University Law School
Moderator: Madeline Kochen
Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
2:55 p.m. - 3:10 p.m.
Break
3:10 p.m. - 4:55 p.m.
Panel III: Consent
Michelle J. Anderson
Dean and Professor, CUNY School of Law
Deborah Denno
Arthur A. McGivney Professor of Law, Fordham University Law School
Cheryl Hanna
Professor of Law, Vermont Law School
Moderator: Kim Thomas
Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
4:55 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Martha Chamallas
Robert J. Lynn Chair in Law, The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Banquet at the Campus Inn
(for registered guests only)
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