We warmly invite workshop proposals for the 20th ETMU Days, which will be held
from 29. 11. – 1. 12. 2023 at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.
There is a wide consensus in academic and activist communities, that oppressive
systems and power dynamics need to be examined and challenged on a structural
level. In other words, complex social issues and inequities (e.g., in education,
migration, health care, or media contexts), are best understood when viewed through
a lens that is critical and sensitive to the sociocultural, historical, and political processes
that sustain them. Honing in on an individual person or incident in disregard of
structural issues may disregard or downplay the magnitude and insidiousness of
oppression and consequent social problems.
Focusing our attention instead on dismantling underlying structural issues thus seems
imperative. Intersectional approaches are needed to deeply understand structures of
power and oppression, which calls us to consider a broad range of forms of power and
oppression and their relationship, including but not limited to racism, ableism,
classism, (hetero)sexism, transphobia, and ageism.
Despite some helpful pointers towards investigating oppression and power as
structures, it still often remains implied or unclear what these structures are, how they
have been built and maintained, and how they can effectively be transformed.
Furthermore, dismantling structural oppression may be considered unfeasible in
scope, or not encouraged as an appropriate paradigm of scholarly activities (be it in
research, teaching, activism, or administration).
During the ETMU Days 2023, we aim to shed light on Structures of Power and
Oppression by asking questions such as: What do structures of power and oppression
consist of? How are they materially, discursively, linguistically, socioculturally, and
historically constructed? How have they developed throughout time and space? How
can they be made visible? What harm have they caused? Who has benefited from them?
How can they be challenged and dismantled? What other structures, processes, or
relationships could and should be built instead?
We invite workshops to explore the conference theme and related topics around
migration, mobility, belonging, displacement, racialization, intersectionality,
Indigenous rights, multiculturality, trans/nationalism, and human and minority rights.
Workshop conveners will be responsible for reviewing and selecting abstracts for their
session and facilitating the presentations of their contributors.
Please consider the following, when writing and submitting your workshop proposal:
- Describe the topic of your workshop in about 300 words.
- Offer examples of the kind of topics you would like to discuss in your workshop.
- Keep the description open and inviting for a variety of approaches, perspectives, and genres.
- If possible, draw connections to the conference theme.
- State the language policy of your workshop, if possible inviting multiple languages.
- Submit your proposal to etmudays2023@jyu.fi by April 15, 2023.
- The ETMU 2023 organizing team will make a decision on the workshops for the conference by the end of April 2023.
- The call for paper submissions to accepted workshops will open on May 6, 2023.
Please also visit the conference website: https://www.jyu.fi/etmudays2023/
We look forward to hearing from you!
The ETMU Days 2023 organizing team:
Johanna Ennser-Kananen, Taina Saarinen, Elina Westinen, Elvis Nshom, Katarzyna Kärkkäinen, Ilkhom Khalimzoda, Reetta Ronkainen, Päivi Iikkanen, Quivine Ndomo, Anduena Ballo, Terhi Paakkinen, Shomaila Sadaf, David Hoffman, Päivi Pirkkalainen