North-South Feminist Dialogue 2024
Online Panel 1: ‘Silencing Sexual Misconduct in Academia: Naming perpetrators, speaking out’
5 March, 12-2 PM GMT
In the wake of movements like #MeToo, #RuReferenceList, and #NiUnaMenos, students and staff worldwide courageously shared stories of sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) in academia. But despite empowering calls to ‘speak out’, survivors often faced severe backlash. Recent cases in the academic community highlight survivors’ challenges in disclosing, even when their accounts are anonymous, and reflect the increasingly prevalent problem of libel law being used to silence SGBV survivors. However, Higher Education (HE) policies and practices rarely consider these factors. This panel will explore from various perspectives the idea of naming perpetrators of SGBV in HE.
Speakers: Kiki Mordi, Joel Quirk, Judith Levine.
Online Panel 2: ‘Silencing Sexual Misconduct in Academia: Challenges in academic publishing’
11 March, 12-2pm GMT
In August 2023 the edited book Sexual Misconduct in Academia: Informing an Ethics of Care in the University was withdrawn from publication by Routledge - Taylor and Francis Group, with the publisher stating they had received ‘a series of legal threats from various parties’ in relation to one chapter. Thousands of academics internationally called for its re-publication, yet the entire volume remains un-published with no apparent route forward.
In this webinar, we will discuss the implications of this development for academic writing on sexual misconduct, asking questions such as, ‘If sexual harassment is part of the conditions of production of academic knowledge, how can we create conditions in which it is possible for survivors and scholars to write about it safely?’ and ‘What should academics expect from publishers when writing in this area?’
Speakers: Donya Ahmadi, Alex Petit-Thorne, Tom Dark, Dirk Voorhoof.
