Call for Papers: Femme Bodies in Academia: Politics, Productivity, and Period Justice

Date: March 2024, 2025

This one-day symposium explores the embodied presence and experience of femme academics in the arts and humanities, focusing on their lived physical and material realities within academia, with a special emphasis on the politics and impacts of menstruation. Academic labour and working environment are not designed to accommodate the lived experiences—emotional, physical, and spiritual—of anyone who is not a white, cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied, neurotypical man. Although this is widely acknowledged, the discussion often remains in the realm of the theoretical, with concrete examples of these experiences rarely shared among students and scholars in day-to-day academic interactions. This is particularly true of menstruation, which is often considered taboo and “unprofessional.” To break the stigma surrounding menstruation in academia and cultivate an inclusive, supportive environment for former and current menstruators, this symposium explores the impacts of menstruation—or lack thereof—on academic lives, normative productivity, and social justice in an open, judgment-free setting.

The event features two thematic panels, a keynote speaker, and an artist talk and creative workshop. Breaks with lunch and coffee will be provided to nurture a warm and welcoming environment.

For the panels we are inviting scholars and students to explore critical topics at the intersection of femme embodied experiences, menstruation justice, and academic labour, examining the challenges faced by femme scholars in spaces not designed to accommodate them and their bodies. Papers could be scholarly, creative, or anything in between. We will especially encourage queer, racialized, and minoritized graduate students to submit their proposals, to ensure the diversity of perspectives and to amplify the voices that are often marginalized in academia. Potential topics for exploration include, but are not limited to:

● Institutional critique of academic work

● The rigid demands of academic labour

● Academic productivity and pressure

● Toxic masculinity in academia

● Femme experiences in academia

● Advancing inclusivity in academia

● Shame and stigma associated with femme bodies

● Period poverty and Menstruation justice

● Menstruation and mental health

● Menstruation as work stressor

● Period, pain, and pressure for productivity

● Menstruation, health, and disability

● Trans experiences and transition

● Menopause and change

● Menstrual support and menstrual leave

● Policy making and activism

● Alternative approaches and knowledges to menstruation

Submission Guidelines:

All graduate students in the Arts and Humanities are welcome to submit their proposals for a presentation of 15 to 20 minutes. To participate as a panelist in the “Femme Bodies in Academia” symposium, please submit a proposal of maximum 350 words to periodpanels2025@gmail.com by February 21, 2025. This proposal should include your name, your pronouns, your email address, affiliation and graduate level, abstract, and a short biography.