Sibéal 2011 Conference Report

UL Hosts Feminist and Gender Studies Conference

The 4^th Annual Conference of the Sibéal Irish Postgraduate Feminist and Gender Studies Network: “Feminist Scholarship, Activism and Creativity” took place 25^th-26^th November at the University of Limerick.

The Sibéal annual conference is a unique event that aims to promote and disseminate the work of early-career researchers working in feminist and gender studies. The Sibéal Network is committed to promoting feminist and gender studies in Ireland and is confident that whilst doing this, the 2011 conference also brought feminist scholarship, activism and creativity into closer dialogue. “Feminist Scholarship, Activism and Creativity” succeeded in bringing together like-minded researchers to share research and learn from one another. It fostered cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration and provided a necessary space wherein current schools of thought could be evaluated. It also allowed for postgraduates to showcase creative approaches to scholarship and activism.

The conference launch and welcome event took place on Friday 25^th November. The conference launch consisted of a public talk by Dr.Cinta Ramblado Minero (UL), an oral history reading and an art exhibition by Evelyn Glynn (LSAD), and a reception with a performance by UL student and musician, Hannah O’Brien. The theme of the evening was women, confinement and social control, which stems from the research and activist interests of the Sibéal regional group in Limerick.

Dr. Cinta Ramblado Minero of the School of Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication delivered a talk on the theme of women, morality and social control. “Politics of Morality and the Morality of Politics: Women and Social Control in Ireland and Spain”. Dr. Ramblado’s talk gave a transnational perspective on the historical phenomenon of confining women. Examining women’s prisons in Franco’s Spain, she provided a comparative context for the Irish case of the Magdalene Laundries. The talk engendered discussion around memorialisation, ways forward and possible processes of reconciliation.

The talk was followed by a reading of a number of oral histories collected by Limerick School of Art and Design student Evelyn Glynn, which she gathered as part of her MA thesis on the Magdalene Laundry in Limerick. These powerful readings provided unique insights into the trajectory of the Good Shepherd Laundry on Clare Street, Limerick. The memories of survivors, of relatives of survivors and of relatives of the Good Shepherd nuns were voiced. The reading compelled the crowd gathered to bear witness to this long-silenced history. After the reading, attendees were guided to the exhibition area where Evelyn Glynn’s artwork was displayed. Those in attendance included postgraduates from universities across Ireland and the UK, faculty and students from UL and members of the public.

On Saturday 26^th November the “Feminist Scholarship, Activism and Creativity” conference was officially opened by Dr. Breda Gray (Head of Women’s Studies at UL). Dr. Gray’s inspiring opening address drew on the theme of women and confinement in the past and related it to confinement and regulation in the present. Dr. Gray discussed the changing regulation of gender and sexuality and liberal assumptions about progress from containment to liberation. In doing so, she emphasised the multiple ways in which gender and sex are regulated – particularly in relation to the bodies and practices of women, in the complex context of neoliberal global capitalism. Dr. Gray’s opening address highlighted the challenges facing contemporary society and simultaneously underscored the validity and necessity of feminist interventions.

Eighty conferees attended the Saturday proceedings. Attendees included University faculty from UL, UCD, UCC, NUIG, LIT and the Burren College of Art and Design; postgraduates from UL, UCC, TCD, NUIG, NUIM, UCD, DCU, MARY I, LSAD and NCAD, from QUB, the Open University, and the University of Warwick in the UK; undergraduates from UL and LIT; members of Limerick Women’s Network, the Irish Feminist Network and Cork Feminista, and members of the public.

Thirty-eight papers were delivered, and two workshops were convened. Papers ranged from feminist literary analyses of Twilight and Harry Potter; examinations of abortion in Ireland, Civil Partnership in Ireland, and lesbian motherhood; to reflections on undergraduate students’ reactions to the term “feminist”, and the links between feminism, activism and creativity in contemporary Ireland. The diverse range of papers engendered lively discussion in each of the panels. Two workshops were held: one shared with participants the toolkit of the Marriage Equality campaign for same-sex couples in Ireland, and the other offered participants the knowledge and skills for establishing and running successful activist campaigns. Senior academics in attendance commented on the high quality of papers delivered, and on the pioneering work being carried out by postgraduates in Ireland and the UK. The conference provided a vital space for formative feedback and dialogue and it allowed for networking and collaboration amongst postgraduates, faculty and activist groups.
In conjunction with the Department of Sociology at UL, a selection of papers from the conference will be published in a special issue of the Socheolas Limerick Student Journal of Sociology.

This special issue will be published in April 2012 and will be launched by feminist academic and activist, Ailbhe Smith, on April 27^th 2012.