CSWS is co-sponsoring the 49th annual meeting of the Society for Utopian Studies, Nov. 5–7, 2026, in Portland. The theme for this year is "Interconnections between Utopia and Dystopia in Times of Crisis." Proposals for papers, panels, roundtables and other submissions are due June 1.
CSWS plans to organize a panel that engages with gender and utopia in an intersectional/international frame. We are seeking graduate student and faculty participants who can address the topic of "feminist futures" through their research across disciplines at the University of Oregon.
The CSWS Feminist Futures panel will be structured as an informal roundtable of 3-6 presenters, with a moderator inviting responses to questions such as: What do feminist futures mean to you? In these times of crisis, how do we think through the relationship between utopia and dystopia in order to aspire to more feminist futures? What possible alternatives can our actions bring about? Panelists will give a short introductory statement followed by conversational engagement with the speakers and audience members.
If you are interested in participating, please email Jenée Wilde, CSWS Research Dissemination Specialist, at jenee@uoregon.edu by May 1 with your name, rank, department, research area, and a short response to one or more questions above (200 words max) that illustrates your approach to these issues. CSWS will use the responses of selected panelists to write our panel proposal.
Organizers also invite direct proposal submissions of 250-300 words for individual papers and pre-formed panels on the conference theme and related topics, as well as presentations focusing on figures, locations, or histories that specifically address Oregon. Submissions can take the form of: a 15- to 20-minute individual paper, a full panel of up to 4 speakers, or an informal roundtable of 3-6 presenters, a presentation or performance of a creative work or artifact, a visual/audio presentation in the form of a poster and/or demo, and other formats such as lightning rounds or PechaKucha.
Sessions will be 90 minutes, and organizers encourage pre-formed panels with time for Q&A as well as pre-formed roundtables comprised of shorter presentations with more allocated time for conversational audience engagement. Direct proposal submissions should be emailed to susprogramchair@gmail.com by June 1, 2026. The conference will be held in Embassy Suites Portland Downtown (formerly the 1912 Multnomah Hotel, listed in the National Register of Historic Places).