Symposium Program

Global Gender Justice Symposium: Gender and Human Rights
April 17, 2008

All events until 4pm will be held in the Johnson Center Cinema. All subsequent events will be held in the Student Union Building II Ballroom.

8:30-9:00 Continental breakfast and registration
9:00-9:15 Welcome and announcements
Sally Merten, wife of the President of George Mason University
9:15-10:45 Panel 1: War and Genocide
10:45-12:15 Panel 2: Legal Landscapes
12:15-1:15 Lunch
1:15-2:15 Keynote Speaker, Marjorie Agosín
Envisioning Courage: The Culture of Human Rights

Introduced by Ricardo Vivancos Perez, Assistant Professor, Modern and Classical Languages
2:15-2:30 Coffee Break
2:30-4:00 Panel 3: Cultural Dynamics
4:15-5:45 Panel 4: Activism
5:45-6:00 Wrap-Up by Jack Censer,
Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
6:00-6:45 Reception

 

Panel 1:  War & Genocide
Moderator:  Debra Bergoffen, Professor of Philosophy, George Mason University

  • Laura Sjoberg, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute: “Women and the Genocidal Rape of Women: The Gender Dynamics of Gendered War Crimes”
  • Elavie Ndura, Associate Professor of Education, George Mason University: “The Impact of Ethnic Conflict and War on Women in Burundi”
  • Hideko Mitsui, Lecturer, East Asian Studies, University of Leeds: “Gender Justice and Wartime Sexual Violence: The Case of Transnational Feminist Engagements in Japan”
  • Tessa Currie, Political Science MA candidate, Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo, ON: “Reconciliatory Silence?: Pregnancy and Births in Genocidal Rape Discourse”

Panel 2:  Legal Landscapes
Moderator:  Karen Wolf, Women and Gender Studies, George Mason University

  • Itai Nartzizenfield Sneh, History Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY: “Gendercide: Women as Victims of Crimes of Humanity”
  • Joanna Quinn, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Co-Director of Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict Research Group, U of Western Ontario: “Gender and Customary Mechanisms in Uganda”
  • Dhrubajyoti (Dru) Bhattacharya, Global Health Law fellow, Georgetown: “In Medias Res: Reaffirming Secular Obligations by Aligning Public Health, Law, and Religion to Further Female Empowerment in India”
  • Dan Moshenberg, Associate Professor of English and Women’s Studies, George Washington University: “Tenderness Deliverances: Women In and Beyond the Global”

Panel 3: Cultural Dynamics
Moderator:  Tamara Harvey, Assistant Professor of English, George Mason University

  • Kay Chernush, photographer: “Ensnared and Enslaved--Images of Human Trafficking”
  • Lucinda Peach, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy, American University: “Sin or Starvation? The Problematic Role of Religious Morality in US Anti-Sex Trafficking Policy”
  • Smadar Lavie, Hubert H. Humphrey Distinguished Visiting Professorship Chair, Macalester College: “Mizrahi Feminism and the Question of Palestine: Gendering the Race of Israel's Ashkenazi Feminism”
  • Amy Wilson, Program Director, International Development Programs, Gallaudet University: “Women and Girls with Disabilities in Developing Countries”

Panel 4:  Activism 
Moderator:  Paula Ruth Gilbert, Professor of French, Canadian, and Women and Gender Studies, George Mason University

  • Saida Hodzic, Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies, George Mason University: “Rethinking Rights: Ghanaian Gender Activism on the Global Stage”
  • Ekaterina Romanova and Erica Sewell, degree candidates, ICAR, George Mason University: “Factors Influencing the Successes and Challenges of Women’s Peace Movements: Case Studies of Liberia and Chechnya”
  • Amy L. Hill, Community Programs Director, Center for Digital Storytelling: "Silence Speaks Digital Media for Gender Justice:
    Exploring the Complexities of 'Participation' and Polyvocality"
  • Nancy Cantalupo, Assistant Dean for Clinical Programs, Georgetown Law: “Using Law and Education to Make Human Rights Real in the Lives of Real Women”