20th Annual Women's History Conference: Democracy on the Margins: Gender, Citizenship, and the Global Challenge to Democratic Freedoms

This year, the 20th Annual Women's History conference will expand upon college’s yearlong discussion of the theme “Democracy and Education” by examining the challenges faced by those who live, work, and struggle on the margins of democracy. We will interrogate the history of democracy and the interplay between citizenship, race, gender, sexuality, and inequality.

We ask: if we agree that equality is an important component of a liberal democracy, what impact does structural and systemic inequality have on an individual’s ability to experience the full range of democratic freedoms? What are the dimensions of birthright and naturalized citizenship? What are the ways in which citizenship is taken from marginalized groups and what are the implications of this withdrawal?