This event is free and open to the public. There is no registration required.

Conference Venue and Location

The conference will take place on the Uptown Campus of the University at Albany (See Map). The conference venue for Thursday, December 4, is in the Campus Center, room 375, while the location for Friday, December 5, is in the Humanities Building, room 354. The uptown campus is accessible by using Interstates 87 (New York Thruway) and 90. Albany also has an international airport and Amtrak and Greyhound stations. Please see the University at Albany's Visitors page.

We recommend that conference participants and attendees, traveling from far afar, stay in lodgings close to campus. The Best Western Sovereign Hotel, located across from the uptown campus on Western Avenue, offers reasonable rates.

Conference Mission

Every fall semester, graduate students in the Women's Studies department at the University at Albany organize an annual conference. This year, students enrolled in the Graduate Orientation in Women's Studies seminar (WSS 510) issued a Call for Papers highlighting this year's theme: "Race Matters to Feminism." The year 2008 will live on in history, for we have witnessed seismic shifts - economically, politically, environmentally, and globally. While there has been much public discourse about racial progress, there has also been concerns about gender setbacks. At the same time, our conference questions how much progress we have made with regards to understanding the intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality in our analyses and practices.

The presentations selected for this conference will address a myriad of topics that highlight how race, indeed, matters to feminism: from an examination of public and international policies to historical and contemporary explorations of violence at the intersections of race, class, and gender, to reflecting on the racial and gender politics that shaped this year's presidential elections, to, finally, challenging racist attitudes and practices that have marred progressive programs and movements.

Conference Organizers

Student organizers of this year's conference include Hee Jeong (Robyn) Chung, Sarah Kempf, He (Olyviah) Liang, and Fei (Nina) Yang.

Conference Sponsors

Our sponsors include the Department of Women's Studies, University Auxiliary Services, and CATALYST: The Women's Studies GSO Group. Your GSO Funds at Work!

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