Comparative Studies Student Association to Host "Intellectual Resistance" Conference March 2024

Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023
The Comparative Studies Student Association of Florida Atlantic University would like to invite undergraduate students, graduate students, post docs, and scholars early in their careers to participate in our annual conference focusing on the idea of intellectual resistance.
 
The act of resistance requires a refusal to accept and comply with regnant power structures. Resistance differs uniquely from rebellion and revolution in its requirement of the minuscule—the details—the language and the action of the everyday. Resistance requires picking up the burden daily and endeavoring to push back against the current even if only to not lose ground. It is a daily act that requires subverting ideological conformity regardless of hegemonic pressures. To put it colloquially, resistance is often the grind hoping for the pay-day.
 
As scholars, we strive to push the boundaries of our fields through the minuscule—the details—the language of our crafts—and the purpose of our respective missions. As scholars on the cusp of our careers, we are uniquely positioned to challenge hegemonies both within and without the realm of academia in the hopes of creating ripples which emanate to unsettle the systemic injustice of the dominating current. As we are uniquely situated in Florida, a hub for anti-intellectual discourse and fear of differing opinions, we also recognize the mere act of gathering to share our research and ideas with decorum, decency, pomp, and circumstance is resistance in and of itself.
 
This call for abstracts invites contributors to address issues regarding resistance in either a literal or abstract context (for, as mentioned above, the act of sharing is itself an act of resistance). As the Comparative Studies Student Association, we believe knowledge and wisdom to be rife when considering the imbrication of disciplines as opposed to considering a discipline in isolation; thus, we welcome abstracts from across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The topics may include but are absolutely not limited to:
 
·         Literature
 
·         Sociology
 
·         Medical studies
 
·         Politics
 
·         Anthropology
 
·         Environmental studies
 
·         Media studies
 
·         Education
 
·         Censorship
 
·         Popular culture
 
·         Healthcare
 
·         Gender and sexuality
 
·         Socioeconomics
 
·         Race
 
·         Creative work
 
·         Dramatic readings
 
If you are interested in submitting a proposal for our conference, please fill out this google form (which includes a 250-word abstract and a 150-word bio) by February 23, 2024. Our conference will take place in-person at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida on March 22, 2024. Our keynote speaker will be Representative Anna Eskamani of the Florida House of Representatives, who in addition to her civil service is also pursuing a PhD in Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida.  
 
 
Please feel free to contact the conference organizers Jodie Boisvert (jboisvert2017@fau.edu), Peyton Sibert (psibert2021@fau.edu), Dani Orias (dorias@fau.edu), and Megan Spring (mspring2020@fau.edu) for more information.