Lehigh will host the Feminisms Beyond the Secular conference from March 21-23 with an aim to start a dialogue about post secular-feminism and the changing relationship between women and religion.
Nandini Deo, an assistant professor of political science, said both feminists and religious institutions have a hostile relationship toward each other. From the perspective of a liberal feminist, religion is restricting to women in ways of equality and freedom. From the perspective of religious institutions, feminists are viewed as threatening in aspects of their family and the balance of power in the home.
The conference will focus on topics surrounding this international issue, bringing ideas forward for open discussion.
“Instead of emphasizing choice and freedom, we’re emphasizing meaning and community,” Deo said. “That is what post-secular feminism is about.”
In an email, Jackie Krasas, the associate dean of interdisciplinary programs and international initiatives and an associate professor of sociology, explained the conference is an interdisciplinary event involving scholars in humanities and social sciences departments from many different colleges and nations. Among this group are India, Ghana, Namibia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The conference will follow a workshop model that features its speakers on panels, keynote presentations, paper presenters and interactive breakout sessions.
Suzanne Edwards, a professor in the English department and director of the Humanities Center, is a member of the organizing committee and will present a paper at the conference.
“I think one of the most exciting things about the conference is that we have a truly global panel of speakers,” Edwards said. “I’m excited to see how that conversation unfolds and the ways that the conversations will shift my own thinking.”
The College of Arts and Sciences was able to fund international travel for some of the desired speakers, which is often is the biggest impediment which prevents professionals from attending similar academic events.
The speaker selection process included a combination of networking and open solicitation. The committee reached out to individuals whose work they were familiar with and believed would be fitting for the conference. Others were able to submit abstracts of their papers for possible presentation.
Deo said the speakers’ presentations are being limited to eight minutes.
“The reason we are doing that is because we are really hoping for a discussion,” she said. “The ideas that people are bringing to the conference are not completely finished ideas or completely polished ideas, but they are ideas that are still taking shape. And what we’re hoping is the conference will provide a platform for discussion and for development.”
Deo just published her book on post-secular feminism in November.
“This is a topic that is really close to my heart and I was really excited to propose that this be the topic that we based the conference around,” she said.
The event is open to all Lehigh faculty and students free of charge. For audiences outside of the university, there is a conference fee. All attendees must register online.
For those unable to attend, one session of the conference will be live-streamed and the rest of the conference will be taped, with copies made available for purchase.
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