CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION
The International Conference on Hate Studies is one of the leading interdisciplinary academic forums on hate, related social problems, and ways/means of creating socially just and inclusive communities. The conference convenes leading academics, journalists, law enforcement personnel, educators, civil servants, NGOs, human rights experts, and community organizers in a dialogue around hatred, community engagement, and justice. We anticipate richly interdisciplinary, cross-sector participation from international, national, and regional audiences. The emerging lessons and plans help educators, researchers, advocates, and others better analyze and counter hatred in its various manifestations, leading to greater commitments to peace, human rights, and justice within communities.
Hate groups and their ideologies continue to evolve and repackage old prejudices in new ways, by exploiting changing technologies and forming alliances across borders. These evolutions pose new challenges for those seeking to counter hate in its many forms. Submissions analyzing this year'stheme from different theoretical or disciplinary lenses are invited. There are four general submission areas: Research, Teaching / Education, Community Practice / Advocacy. Submissions are also invited that thematically provide best practices, organizational structures, and examples of social change.
Academic papers may also be submitted to the Journal of Hate Studies, the international, interdisciplinary peer-reviewed scholarly journal operated by the Gonzaga University Center for the Study of Hate. For more information, visit the Journal of Hate Studies website
CONFERENCE GOALS
- The sharing of best practices related to community and individual actions in challenging hate and supporting social change.
- Providing a forum for the discussion of knowledge, practices, and perspectives from diverse academic communities, activists, professions, and vocations.
- Generating, promulgating, and publishing interdisciplinary research projects, as well as new knowledge, theories, strategies, and methods, including educational, professional, and practical. We encourage all with ideas for social justice and social change at the individual, community, organizational, and structural levels.
CONFERENCE AREAS & TOPICS
We invite international, national, and regional audiences to participate, whether as presenters and/or attendees. We seek submissions for papers, roundtable discussions, full panels, workshops, performances, and poster/exhibit sessions.
We are particularly interested to receive submissions that engage with the conference theme, including but not limited to the following topics, through the lenses of Research, Education, Practice, and Advocacy:
- The recruitment of youth into hate groups and hateful ideologies; anti-hate education within K-12th grades, post-secondary, or organizations.
- How technology can be used to spread or challenge hateful ideologies.
- The challenges hate poses to democracy and democratic institutions.
- Analysis of white supremacist thought and its role in undermining progressive achievements.
- Explorations of the question whether hate can be a cathartic response to trauma.
- Solutions and strategies for changing policies, laws, and practices that sustain or encourage hate, intolerance, or inequality.
- The roots of “Othering” and its role in motivating acts of hate, discrimination, or prejudice.
- New and emerging views of time-tested theories, concepts, practices, and lines of inquiry for understanding and challenging hatred, intolerance, or inequality.
- Rebuilding communities or organizations after they have experienced acts of hatred, intolerance, inequality, and bias.
- The role of leaders in challenging individual or organized activities, practices, or policies of hatred or intolerance
- Individual strategies for building community, acting as allies, or challenging hate that may lead to more inclusive cultures and communities.
The topics above are just a sample to encourage creative thinking for paper and presentation ideas, and are by no means all-encompassing. Potential presenters should feel free to explore their areas of passion.
ENVISIONED PRESENTERS & AUDIENCE
We wish to receive paper and session proposals from:
- Academics – scholars, researchers, educators, administrators, and students from across the humanities, social studies, law, public policy, and professional studies areas
- Community organizers
- Engaged global citizens
- Human rights leaders
- Journalists and media members
- Members of the legal community (attorneys, judges, law enforcement officials)
- Policy experts
- Professional practitioners working in areas, or on issues, related to the conference theme
- Professionals in other education sectors and circles
- Representatives of government and non-governmental organizations