Activism, Change, and Feminist Futures: A Feminist Politics of Radical Hope in a Time of Oppression
A joint conference from the LEX, VAWGRN, FRAN, and CSEL research networks.
A feminist politics of radical hope in a time of oppression, is a two-day joint conference from: The LEX Network, Violence Against Women and Girls Research Network (VAWGRN), Feminist Legal Research and Action Network (FRAN), and the Centre for the Study of Emotion and Law (CSEL).
Date: 6 - 7 November 2025
Location: School of Law and Social Justice Building, University of Liverpool
‘Hope is central to marginal politics which speak of desires for equality or simply for a better life. Feminism might be characterised as a politics of hope, a movement underpinned by a utopian drive for equality’(Coleman & Ferreday, 2010).
Whilst hope is fundamental to making change towards transformative futures rooted in justice, equality and solidarity for all, the question remains: How do we hold onto hope in a world of increasing anti-feminist politics and oppression? How can we sustain hope and resilience in the feminist fight for justice and resistance to oppression? This conference explores the transformative power of feminist politics of radical hope, and how to embrace vision and action as we sustain hope both as individuals, researchers and as a collective.
This year we are delighted to welcome Professor Maggie O'Neill and Professor Aisha Gill as keynote speakers.
Thursday Keynote Speaker
Radical Hope in times of crisis, endemic violence and threats to academic freedom.
Professor Maggie O’Neill (UCC)
This fourth joint international annual LEX conference ‘A feminist politics of radical hope in a time of oppression’ defines hope as ‘central to marginal politics which speak of desires for equality or simply for a better life’ and that ‘Feminism might be characterised as a politics of hope, a movement underpinned by a utopian drive for equality’(Coleman & Ferreday, 2010). In my paper I will address the definition of and possibilities for ‘radical hope’ in the context of a long history of feminist collaborative research, theory and praxis, working with artists, communities and grass roots organisations and recent engagement with feminist new materialisms (Geerts 2024, van der Tuin 2025). This analysis opens dialogue with the LEX collective on the transformative power of feminist participatory and performative research in times of ongoing crisis, endemic violence and threats to academic freedom– by opening and keeping open spaces for stories to be told and heard, by doing feminist critical theory in practice, by ‘staying with the trouble’ (Haraway 2016) and by working together to create change, through research, pedagogy, advocacy and activism. A question is posed - how does the work that LEX scholars are engaged in contribute to critically understand, imagine and/or enact our social futures in more collective, just and sustainable ways.
Friday Keynote Speaker
Unspeakable: Overcoming inadequate responses to child abuse cases in Black and minoritised communities
Professor Aisha K Gill
The horrifying 2023 murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who died after being repeatedly abused by her father and stepmother, exposes the inadequate responses of key services in cases involving Black and minoritised children such as Sara. In 2024, jurors at the Old Bailey heard that the 10-year-old was discovered dead in a bunkbed in the family home in Woking, Surrey, on 10 August 2023. Her father Urfan Sharif, 42, and his wife, Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty by the Central Criminal Court of murdering Sara after perpetrating a year-long “campaign of abuse” against her. Despite her school referring her to social services, the authorities failed to take action that could have prevented her death This paper draws on the case to illustrate the importance of understanding the role culture plays (including family values and norms) in cases of child abuse; which may make it more difficult for this kind of abuse to be reported in Black and minoritised communities and examining how taking a ‘hands-off’ approach may incorrectly attribute what is going on to cultural norms/practices. This understanding is critical for helping us to better support victims and achieve successful prosecutions.
Aisha K. Gill, Ph.D. CBE is Professor of Criminology and Head of Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the University of Bristol, UK. She is editorial member of Journal of Gender-Based Violence. From 2019-2024, she served as Co-Chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, of which she remains an Associate Member. In 2024 she was appointed Board of Trustees of Ashiana Network.
The conference will comprise papers, posters and exhibits that aim to showcase themes of hope through a feminist lens. We invite submissions that draw from a diverse range of disciplines and methodologies, and that explore the concept of a ‘feminist politics of radical hope’, within the topics of:
- New theoretical frameworks for feminist research
- Participatory and innovative feminist methods of resistance research
- Domestic violence and coercive control
- Sexual violence and harassment
- Technology-facilitated gender-based violence
- Migration and far-right politics of exclusion
- Feminist activism
- Feminist legal studies
- Systems and Institutions
- Wellbeing
This year we will be accepting abstracts for either:
- Papers (15-20 minute presentation plus 10 minutes for questions)
- Posters (will be displayed throughout the conference and there will be a dedicated poster session)
When you submit your abstract for consideration, then we ask that you please indicate whether you prefer that we consider it as a paper, poster or both.
We will also be accepting submissions for exhibits such as artwork, interactive displays that can be displayed throughout the conference. Someone will need to be available to set up and take down the display, and to interact with conference delegates during breaks about the display.
Submission Procedure: Submit an abstract (of up to 150 words maximum) including all authors names. Please clearly identify which author(s) will attend the conference to present the paper, poster or exhibit by Friday 30th May 2025, using the online submission portal https://forms.office.com/e/1gkWSg9nkk
Conference fee
PhD researcher: £25.00
Part-time or fixed-term posts: £50.00
Full-time permanent posts: £90.00
Registration
- Register for the conference - Opening Date TBC
Agenda
TBC
* The conference is being convened by and brings members together from:
• The Law, Gender & Sexuality Research Network (LEX) (admin@lexnetwork.org)
• The Violence Against Women and Girls Network (vawgrn@uos.ac.uk)
• The Feminist Legal Research and Action Network (Sarah.Singh@liverpool.ac.uk)
• The Centre for the Study of Emotion and Law (CSEL@rhul.ac.uk)