Fierce & Fearless or Stealthy & Strategic?
Reclaiming the Feminist Project in the University
NOG Research Day 2025
Hosted by the Radboud Network for Gender and Diversity Studies,
Radboud University, 2 October 2025
What constraints and possibilities does the current political conjecture pose for the future of gender studies and academic feminisms? How do we respond to these current political pressures in a way that goes beyond a defensive positioning or even ‘wounded attachments’ (Brown 1993), towards a positive reclamation of the feminist project in the university? What figurations of resistance and resilience do we turn to in this process – the feminist killjoy (Ahmed 2024), the space invader (Puwar 2004), or the stealth feminist (Laliberté et al. 2017)?
These questions animate the 2025 NOG Research Day, which invites researchers in gender and sexuality studies to share the new and exciting insights from their current research and showcases the diversity of contemporary feminist scholarship. By coming together as an academic community, we can strengthen our collective force, share experiences, and build alliances.
The heart of the day is the presentations by PhD researchers. The participants share their research through panel and poster presentations and get feedback from fellow PhDs and more experienced researchers.
We will also host a book launch and roundtable with the editors of several recent publications in the field, including: Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture (revised third edition, 2025 Routledge, Rosemarie Buikema, Liedeke Plate & Kathrin Thiele), Handbook of Gender Studies in the Dutch Caribbean (2024 Amsterdam University Press, Sruti Bala & Rose Mary Allen) and the new edition and English translation of Caleidoscopische Visies. De zwarte, migranten- & vluchtelingen-vrouwenbeweging in Nederland (2024 Walburg Press and 2025 Amsterdam University Press, Nancy Jouwe, Gloria Wekker & Maayke Botman). The editors introduce the books and discuss their importance for the present moment.
Call for Contributions
PhD candidates are invited to present their work-in-progress during the day. These presentations may be on any topic related to gender and sexuality studies. The idea is to share one or two key findings or insights from your research, focusing especially on issues/questions you would like feedback on. It is unnecessary to introduce the whole project. Instead, the presentation should be an opening towards discussion and exchange that will help you further.
In order to have more variety in formats, there is an option to choose between a paper and a poster presentation.
Paper presentations should be a maximum of 15 minutes. They will be grouped in panels of 2-3 presentations with time for Q&A. You will have the chance to speak about your ongoing research to an engaged audience of fellow PhDs and more experienced researchers.
The poster presentation offers a dynamic and visual format to present (part of) your work. You will have the opportunity to showcase and speak about your ongoing research in smaller groups, and start a conversation with the attendees.
Abstracts (max. 300 words) should be sent to NOGDay2025@ru.nl before 1 July 2025. Please specify your preference for either a paper or poster presentation.
