Protest and Dissent: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference
Saturday 1st December 2018 – Sunday 2nd December 2018
Vienna, Austria

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The 21st century has seen a resurgence in protest movements and political dissent around the world. Some of these have been multi-national – for example Occupy, Black Lives Matter and #MeToo – whereas others have had more limited or localised scope, focused on issues of political corruption, violence against women, or prison reform. Additionally, the recent success of populist politicians and political movements around the world could be viewed as a form of dissent by those who feel alienated by the status quo.

Protest and dissent are not new: history is full of movements that have brought fundamental change to our societies through protest, as well as those whose dissent was unsuccessful and the issues they challenged still unaddressed. Furthermore, although many popular protest movements have received widespread support, others have been condemned, both by those in power and by societies at large.

This inclusive interdisciplinary project will explore all aspects of protest and dissent, both historical and in the present moment. By bringing together a wide range of scholars, activists, artists, journalists, ngo’s and professionals we hope to consider the myriad of ways protest and dissent can be expressed, why some movements experience widespread popular and support and others do not, the effectiveness of particular tactics in bringing about lasting change, and what in 2018 we can learn from earlier struggles.

Unlike other conferences or gatherings, this event proposes to step outside the traditional conference setting and offer opportunities for independent scholars, academics, activists, writers, artists and political campaigners to engage and intermingle, providing platforms for interdisciplinary interactions that are fruitful and conducive to broadening horizons and sparking future projects, collaborations, and connections.

We are excited to accept proposals for presentations, displays, exhibits, contested conversations, debates, poetic/literary performances, round tables, panels, interactive workshops and more. A potential, but by no means exhaustive, list of topics includes:

Historical protest movements;
Modern movements such as Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and March for Our Lives;
Civil Rights movements;
Repression and restriction of protest;
Artistic, literary and musical representations of protest;
Iconic images of protest and dissent, for example Tiananmen Square ‘tank man’, lunch counter sit-ins during the Civil Rights movement, and their importance;
Online based protest;
Personal accounts of protesting;
Questions of intersectionality within protest movements;
Making movements inclusive;
Populist politics as a form of political dissent;
The use of information, media and propaganda to either encourage or suppress protest;
Protest within specific occupations and industries, for example Rhodes Must Fall;
The impact of Globalisation upon protest movements;
The commercialisation of protest and dissent;
Geographies of protest, the ‘where’ being just as important as the ‘why’;
Spaces and places of dissent;
Protest and the law;
Justice, activism and power;
Violent resistance vs. civil disobedience;
Comparative approaches to protest and dissent, across time periods or geographies;
Nationalist and separatist movements;
Revolutionary movements;
Backlash and reactionary movements;
Important individuals and leaders within protest movements;
Implementing change brought by protest and dissent.

What to Send
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, performances, poster presentations, panels, q&a’s, roundtables etc.

300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 8th June 2018. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chair.

All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.

You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 22nd June 2018.

If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 19th October 2018.

Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.

E-mails should be entitled: Protest and Dissent Submission

Where to Send
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator:

Organising Chair: Emma Craddock: emma@progressiveconnexions.net

Project Administrator: viennaprotest@progressiveconnexions.net

What’s so Special About Progressive Connexions Events?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic format – at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.

A chance to network with international professionals – the beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging to them.

A chance to be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed.

An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity.

An unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the event.

Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation.

Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.

Please send enquiries to: viennaprotest@progressiveconnexions.net

For further details and information please visit the conference web page: http://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/human-rights/protest/conferences/

Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions