Perspectives on Gender and Technology: An interdisciplinary conference
sponsored by The University of Texas Center for Women’s and Gender Studies
April 11, 2008
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The University of Texas at Austin
Purpose: To look at the interaction of gender and technology in the
contemporary world from three perspectives: ways of knowing, ways of doing,
and ways of changing.
* Ways of knowing – These papers will consider how technology
mediates/facilitates/responds to cultural and social realities, especially
those related to gender.
* Ways of doing – These papers will explore gendered constructs of “doing”
technology. (E.g., norms related to technological expertise, the impact of
gender on growth/advancement/entrance into technologically-oriented careers,
etc.)
* Ways of changing – These papers will consider the intersection of women
and technology in the developing world, especially the use of technology as
a tool for positive social change.
Who is invited: Because some of the most fruitful studies of gender and
technology are interdisciplinary, all methodologies and approaches are
welcome, from ethnographic studies to feminist theorizing to quantitative
empirical studies (and all points in between). We hope to attract a broad
representation of scholars and practitioners.
How to submit a proposal: PROPOSALS (500 WORDS) ARE DUE DEC 1, 2007.
Email proposals to Hillary Hart: hart@mail.utexas.edu. Please use MSWord
2003 (or earlier) or PDF for file formats, or embed the proposal in the
e-mail message.
Accepted proposals will be notified by DEC. 15, 2007; full manuscripts will
be due MARCH 15. Papers presented at the conference will be published in the
conference proceedings. NOTE: Editors of the following journals have
expressed specific interest in considering appropriate papers from this
conference for publication: Journal of Strategic Information Systems,
Science Communication, Journal of Technology in Human Services.
Featured Keynote Speakers:
Lucy Suchman, Professor & Co-director, Centre for Science Studies, Lancaster
University. Suchman joined the faculty at Lancaster after twenty years as a
researcher at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center. She researches the
relationship of ethnographies of everyday practice to new technology design.
Her 1987 book, Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human-Machine
Communication, is a watershed work in the field of human-computer
interaction. Among many other awards, in 2005, she won the Outstanding
Contribution to Research Award from the Communication and Information
Technologies Section of the American Sociological Association.
Rachael Muir, Founder and Executive Director of Girlstart. Girlstart is a
non-profit organization founded in Austin, Texas in 1997 to empower girls in
math, science, engineering and technology. Girlstart’s programs have been
featured on the Today show, the Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and in Glamour,
Texas Monthly, Fast Company, and CosmoGIRL magazines.