2024 Call for Proposals
We Are All Connected:
Fostering Intersectionality and Solidarity
The annual conference of The Peace and Justice Studies Association
Hosted by The Justice House Program at Niagara University
OCTOBER 24-27, 2024 | Niagara, New York, USA
Proposal Submission Deadline: May 01, 2024
Early Bird Registration: May 1 – July 15, 2024
Draft Schedule Released: June 3, 2024
Skip me right to the proposal submission form!
Flyer suitable for displaying at your department, school, workplace
Hotel information: peacejusticestudies.org/conference/2024-hotel-information/
Travel information: peacejusticestudies.org/conference/2024-travel-visitor-information/
Intersectionality–a term first coined by civil rights advocate and critical race theory scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw–refers to how systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class, and other forms of discrimination are related and “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects. To study intersectionality is to anticipate that all forms of inequality are mutually reinforcing and must be analyzed and responded to simultaneously to prevent forms of inequality from reinforcing each other. By revealing and recognizing overlapping social identities, we can address and overcome related systems of oppression and domination.
The ideas associated with intersectionality are not new. That we are all connected is a fundamental understanding of indigenous worldviews, which see the whole person (physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual) as interconnected to land and in relationship to others (family, communities, nations).
There is a resurgence in academic research that recognizes the importance of these connections. Barry Commoner coined the First Law of Ecology in 1971: “Everything is connected to everything else.” This idea is also represented through the work of many preeminent scientists such as Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Philosophers, theologians, historians, movement scholars, and academics across disciplines are increasingly emphasizing the essentiality of interconnectedness for understanding social, environmental, economic, racial, political, gender, health, and all forms of inequality and injustice.
We are particularly interested in presentations that focus on the following areas:
- Exploring connections to guide our peace research and build solidarity.
- Establishing and supporting broad-based movements for peace, justice, and liberation, across many different communities, we need to be present and accountable to people who experience different forms of oppression and different realities than us.
- To understand power we have to understand how multiple oppressed communities are affected differently by domination systems.
- Recognizing the depth and breadth of the interdisciplinary peace scholarship and conflict resolution practices
Participants are encouraged to frame their contributions to the conference in ways that reveal intersectionality and facilitate solidarity.
The Conference
The conference is a collaboration between the Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA), a bi-national organization in the U.S. and Canada, and the Justice House program at Niagara University. The Justice House program at Niagara University is a learning laboratory where we reimagine what is possible for college students in today’s world.
We believe that a college education should have value and meaning, and we seek to empower students to achieve their dreams. Our mission is to create a learning community centered on the pursuit of justice; to critically examine the meaning of justice and its denial; to impart knowledge of struggles for justice, past and present; to illuminate the intersection and interconnectedness of justice struggles across contexts and levels of human interaction; to provide models and tools that will empower students; to build a just community premised on equality, cooperation, and other shared values; to inspire the members of our community to pursue their vocations as advocates for justice. We collaborate with many community advocacy and peace and justice organizations.
There will be multiple opportunities to engage, beginning with interactive pre-conference trainings and programming, as well as panels, plenaries, workshops, and discussion sessions, concluding with our annual awards ceremony and silent auction. On Thursday, October 24, we will offer several trainings and workshops for participants – details will be provided in the coming weeks. On Sunday, October 27th, we will offer excursions in the afternoon to sites of regional, national, and international importance such as Love Canal, the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, and the Niagara Gorge. Information on these and other conference features will be shared through the PJSA listserv and the conference website.
Submissions may include various formats:
- Individually submitted papers (to be organized into panels by the conference committee)
- Panels (3-4 individual papers or presenters linked thematically)
- Films, creative works, and art presentations
- Roundtable discussions (interactive, facilitated discussion led by presenter/s)
- Teaching and/or skill-building, interactive workshops
Submissions are limited to 2 per person
Submissions from teachers, students, activists, youth, and first-time presenters as well as academics are welcome. The PJSA conference provides a welcoming environment designed to facilitate the sharing of work and ideas across disciplines.
You can submit your proposal here
Registration
Details regarding registering are forthcoming. For more information, contact info@peacejusticestudies.org or visit https://www.peacejusticestudies.org. We aim to support participation by activists, students, and faculty-student groups and offer discounted registration. Reach out as early as possible to make arrangements.
About Niagara
Located on the ancestral lands of the Neutral Confederacy, the Wenrohronon, and the Haudenosaunee nations, Niagara University was founded by the Vincentian Community in 1856. Niagara University is a private liberal arts university with a strong, values-based Catholic tradition. Its five academic divisions include the colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business Administration; Education; Hospitality, Tourism, and Sport Management; and Nursing. Located on the Niagara River overlooking the Province of Ontario, Canada, the university is located at the northern limits of the City of Niagara Falls, N.Y., about four miles from the world-famous cataracts.
More than 4,000 students are enrolled in its undergraduate and graduate programs. 70% of Niagara’s students come from New York state, and 23% are from Canada and other foreign countries. Niagara University is located 30 minutes from the Buffalo/Niagara International Airport. It is situated on the Niagara Gorge and Niagara River, five miles downstream from the Falls, and neighbors with the Tuscarora and Seneca Nations and borders Canada (about 85 miles from Toronto). Located between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, it is 20 miles from Buffalo.