For people in nations where laws prohibit gender discrimination, it may seem as though gender is no longer a pressing issue. And yet beliefs about gender differences continue to influence our daily lives, often when we are unaware, and often in ways that contribute to gender injustice. To understand how power and gender are inextricably linked, we must explore how our personal interactions and sociocultural institutions function to produce, maintain, and/or challenge gender inequities globally, regionally, and in our own Concordia community.
The 2018 Faith, Reason, and World Affairs Symposium will examine the ways in which gender and power intersect with other forms of difference, including race, class, sexuality, religion, (dis)ability, and so on. We will explore relationships between gender and power in a variety of contexts: in the classroom and the workforce, in intimate relationships and political systems, in economic pursuits and religious faith. We will also discuss empowerment and action as we uphold the college’s commitment to engaged citizenship in the world. This exploration can empower us to envision and create a world in which all lives are equally respected and valued.
Author and activist Rebecca Walker's intention is to make the world a better place, one conversation at a time. She brings two decades of experience, insight, and innovation to the global conversation about race and gender, art and culture, and politics and power.
Jackson Katz, co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention, is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist who is internationally renowned for his pioneering scholarship and activism on issues of gender, race and violence.
As co-director of the Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, an academic center focused on gender and policy that fulfills the land-grant mission of a public university, Debra Fitzpatrick sits squarely at the intersection of sound, valid research and public action.