Radfem 2013
Programme
CONFERENCE THEMES
Each conference day has three themes.
Saturday’s themes are:



Eliminating Violence Against Women
Multiple-Oppressions of Women Under Patriarchy.
Abolishing Prostitution and Supporting Survivor Activism.
Sunday’s themes are:



Building sisterhood and women’s community.
The Lesbian Heresy: Sisters ending compulsory heterosexuality and
promoting lesbianism in the face of hostility.
A critique of post-modernism, identity politics and queer theory.
For each theme, throughout the day we will:



Listen to specific sisters who will speak to the whole conference
about their experiences and their political perspectives.
Debate and discuss what we’ve heard in smaller break out
workshops
Plan and strategise for the future, to ensure we move forward
beyond the conference.
Programme Timetable
SATURDAY, 8 JUNE
TIME /
ACTIVITY
DESCRIPTION
8.30 – 8.50
Arrive, sign in, optional activities.
8.50 – 9.00
Welcome
Dani Tauni
9.00 – 9.30
Choose one of the following:
Connecting with
Sisters
A. CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO MAN-MADE PROBLEMS
Small Hall
All activism involves creative thinking, and collectively we have the
skills and vision to make BIG THINGS happen. Let's connect introduce yourself and your areas of interest in political activism in a
relaxed, informal session in order to meet other women for future
collaborations. We'll discover what each other’s creative strengths
are. Women's collective creativity is an inspiration to action!
B. RADFEM GAMES
Main Hall
9.30 – 10.30
Come and get to know other radical feminists through games such as
a quiz, Radfem Bingo and other fun interactive games.
Exploring the difference between ‘radical’ and ‘liberal’ feminism.
Lierre Keith
Introduction to
Radical Feminism Challenging the Narrative: Sisterhood across the male supremacist
divisions among women.
Dani Tauni
Main Hall
Hidden in plain sight: male violence against women.
Julia Long
10.30 – 11.00
Optional Activities (see bottom of program guide for details)
Morning Tea
11.00 – 12.30
Panel: Abolishing Prostitution and Supporting Survivor Activism
Sisters sharing
knowledge:
Sheila Jeffreys
Cherry Smiley
Rachel Moran
Main Hall
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
Survivors of Prostitution / Exited Women’s Space (to hang out and
chat – Workshop Space A)
Optional Activities (see bottom of program guide for details)
13.30 – 14.30
Choose from 1 of the following:
Discussion
Workshops
(break out)
A: FEMINIST ANTIMILITARISM: STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE
Main Hall
Cynthia Cockburn
We briefly start with thoughts about what gender, and in particular
masculinity, has to do with militarism and how women have long
organized against war in different parts of the world. But the main
focus of this workshop will be practical: to strategize for a feminist
challenge by women and men to militarist culture, threats of armed
conflict and the war machine.
B. RADICAL FEMINISM AND MAINSTREAM POLITICS
Workshop
Space 1
Marlyn Glen
Should radical feminists engage with mainstream politics? How can
we do it effectively? Is it worth it?
Marlyn Glen was a Member of the Scottish Parliament for two terms,
and has nearly four decades' experience of feminist work in trade
unions and mainstream politics.
C. OLD WOMEN ARE YOUR FUTURE
Elaine Hutton
Workshop
Space 2
Many women in their 60s and older were/are involved in the Women’s
Liberation Movement. Our ambition was/is to change the world. We
are now faced with ‘Yes, dear, can I help you?’ ‘You’re marvellous for
your age.’ ‘You don’t look it.’ ‘Your pains are ‘only’ ageing.’ The world
hasn’t changed (yet).
Ignored, derided, suffering cuts to pensions and benefits, left to starve
in hospitals/care, we are the subject of vicious attacks and
misrepresentation in the media, accused of being ‘on easy street at
the expense of the young’. We are only taken seriously if we ‘pass’
as young(er) - lying about our age, dyeing our hair, applying miracle
cream to erase our wrinkles.
How does a radical feminist analysis address these attitudes, or does
it merely reflect them?
D. FUNDAMENTALISM, MISOGYNY AND THE STATE
Elizabeth Carola
Small Hall
How official and grassroots support for religious, ideological and
gender fundamentalisms combine to act as a tool for social control
generally and controlling women specifically. especially in times of
austerity. How can we understand the appeal of fundamentalisms and
so effectively counter them with feminism, secularism and genuine
democracy.
14.30 – 15.00
Optional Activites (see bottom of program guide for details)
Afternoon Tea
15.00 – 16.00
Strategy Sessions on the days three themes
Planning Ahead



Eliminating Violence Against Women.
Multiple-Oppressions of Women Under Patriarchy.
Abolishing Prostitution and Supporting Survivor Activism.
This will be an open space session, for women to have the
opportunity to initiate planning and strategy workshops, so please
come along with ideas.
There will be a board set up with different times and different spaces.
Women will be asked to think of the priorities for action and to
volunteer to initiate a workshop. Your only job as a workshop initiator
is to introduce the topic for 5 minutes. A workshop facilitator will be at
each workshop who will then guide the discussion and facilitate
actions.
The aim is to get 3 – 5 actions for each workshop, which will be
published in an action plan after the conference.
16.00 – 17.15
Dolphin Pub
Function
Room
(Opposite the
Camden
Centre)
Building an effective radical feminist movement and the
challenges of open organising for women only space:
An open workshop for all conference participants.
Ruth Greenberg and Kat Pinder





Why is open organising for female space so important?
Exploring the political issues, strategy and lobbying for change
Legalities of open organising for female only space
Moving forward to build a strong and effective movement
Developing strategies to manage internal and external conflicts
and fear mongering
17.15 – 18.00
Break
18.00 – 19.00
Book Launch
52 Club
Basement of
52 Gower
Street
London
WC1E 6EB
Rachel Moran (prostitution survivor, writer, blogger & activist)
Paid For: My Journey through Prostitution
18.00 – 1.00am
Sister Social Women’s Disco (with buffet style food)
52 Club
(address
above)
SUNDAY, 9 JUNE
TIME /
ACTIVITY
DESCRIPTION
9.00 – 10.30
Building International Sisterhood and Defending Women Only Space
Femi Otitoju
Sister Speaker
Session
Main Hall
The Lesbian heresy: Understanding the impact of compulsory
heterosexuality on the class of women and supporting lesbianism and
lesbian-only spaces, in the face of hostility.
Sheila Jeffreys
The ecstatic joy of Post-Modernism, Identity Politics and Queeer
Theory
Polly Jendah Aware-ness Parker
10.30 – 11.00
Optional Activities (see bottom of program guide for details)
Morning Tea
11.00 – 12.15
Discussion
Workshops
(break out)
Small Hall
Choose from 1 of the following:
A: (RE) BUILDING RADICAL LESBIAN FEMINIST COMMUNITIES
Julia Long
How do we balance our politics with the necessity of living under
patriarchy? We often need to balance paid/unpaid work, a demonizing
benefits system, etc. with creating alternative systems to the
patriarchal structures which exist. Our world is man-made and yet,
somehow, we have to carve ourselves lesbian feminist spaces, in
very challenging times. A workshop to discuss strategies/support
mechanisms.
B. CUT THE BULL SHIT: IDENTITY POLITICS, QUEER THEORY
AND THE APPROPRIATION OF RADICAL FEMINISM
Cathy Brennan
Main Hall
This workshop will discuss the manner in which Queer Theory has
appropriated Women and Lesbian narratives of oppression as a
means to advance the rights of Men. We will identify tactics used by
Queer advocates, discuss ways in which Feminists can support each
other in identifying these tactics, and strategies for combatting them.
C. FEMINIST VALUES IN PRACTICE
Workshop
Space 1
Rif and Alison
In a workshop at Radfem 2012, participants generated hallmarks of
feminist process. This year, we will explore the challenges of working
within these hallmarks, and develop strategies for ensuring that our
organising is consistent with feminist values.
D. CONGOLESE WOMEN - COMMON CAUSE (moved from
Saturday)
Workshop
Space 2
Germaine Odia Wabrwadenga
The Eastern part of DR Congo has been labeled the rape capital of
the world, with 250,000 cases of reported rapes and an estimated 1
million unreported cases. Sexual violence has been used as a
weapon of war, intimidation, humiliation, displacement and control.
The perpetrators are occupying forces from neighbouring countries,
local militias, government soldiers, UN Peace Keepers, Police and
civilians. There is no justice system on the ground even though DR
Congo is signed up to international laws to protect women and
children. Discussion about the campaign.
12.15 – 13.00
Optional Activites
Lunch
13.00 – 14.00
Screening of Lesbiana
Movie
14.00 – 15.30
Strategy Sessions on the days three themes



Building sisterhood and women’s community.
The Lesbian Heresy: Sisters ending compulsory heterosexuality
and promoting lesbianism in the face of hostility.
A critique of post-modernism, identity politics and queer theory.
This will be an open space session, for women to have the
opportunity to initiate planning and strategy workshops, so please
come along with ideas.
There will be a board set up with different times and different spaces.
Women will be asked to think of the priorities for action and to
volunteer to initiate a workshop. Your only job as a workshop initiator
is to introduce the topic for 5 minutes. A workshop facilitator will be at
each workshop who will then guide the discussion and facilitate
actions.
The aim is to get 3 – 5 actions for each workshop, which will be
published in an action plan after the conference.
15.30 – 16.30
Report back on strategy sessions and finalise action plan
16.30 – 17.00
Final Round Up and Closing Session
Elizabeth Carola
17.00
End
Close of Conference
Optional Activities
There will be a number of optional activities throughout the day which you can
participate in if you choose, these include:
Letter to a Sister
When you arrive, you can write a letter to a radfem sister at the conference.
When you go home, we’ll give you a letter as a sisterly reminder of the power
of women together.
Lobbying
Throughout both days, there will be opportunities to write letters to lobby for
causes that you may feel passionately about. A stall will be set up with letter
writing materials and boxes to drop your letters into, so that we can send off a
mass of letters following the conference.
Message Board
There will be a message board available in the main hall. You can leave a
message there for any woman at the conference. Organisers can’t be
responsible for anything you may have lost so please use the message board
for lost property as well as other practical information,