Northeastern Illinois University's 10th Annual Conference on Genocide and Human Rights in Africa and the Diaspora

The Intersection of Gender, Sexual Violence and Genocide
in Africa and Beyond

March 7, 8 and 9, 2024
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60625

Conference Highlights

The Center for Genocide and Human Rights Research in Africa and the Diaspora will host its 10th annual conference at Northeastern Illinois University March 7-9, 2024. While this three-day event will cover many issues relating to genocide, a special focus will center on the role of gender in Africa and the Diaspora. For decades, scholars have written about the ways genocidal violence has historically reflected power relations within and across gender and have mirrored trends of racial and sociopolitical victimization.

During episodes of inter-ethnic violence, the projection of rage onto the “other” often manifests itself in sexual violence against women in Africa and beyond. The rape and killing of pregnant women, for instance, has often been used as a way of denigrating an opposing group. Additionally, in an effort to explain the targeting of LGBTQ+ communities within more liberal societies, the scope of recent scholarship has expanded the treatment of gender-inspired violence to include transphobia.

We welcome submissions of critical work from scholars, researchers and students from various disciplines whose research explores our conference theme: the Intersection of Gender, Sexual Violence, and Genocide in Africa and Beyond. Because gender is where the personal meets the political, genocidal violence often takes gendered forms. When does conflict become “gendercidal” and how does genocide reorganize gender roles? A gender relations approach to conflict identifies patterns of power stratification across gender, race and class. How do changes in one symbolic and behavioral assemblage impact the others? What role does religion play in the reification of gender stereotypes and the justification of femicide? What are the gender implications of climate change and environmental degradation — what some scholars call “ecocide”? These and other questions suggest a variety of possible topics. 

Use the following link to see the agenda and register for the conference:

Full Program and Registration