No Progress Without Struggle:Teaching Protest Literature, During Times of Protest

Without doubt, students across the nation have increasingly begun to be more politically active in recent years. From the spring’s protests about the Israeli-Hamas war, the George Floyd protest of 2020, to the various walkouts surrounding school shootings, the banner of activism and civil disobedience is being taken up by students nationwide. Young people across the globe are using the freedom of expression granted by our universities and nation to voice their anxieties about the uncertain future and the painful present. As we gather as a humanistic field in New Orleans, we must reflect on how we can rise to the needs of these politically activated and engaged students. Knowing the fractious nature of such civil demonstrations, we hope to gather a variety of educators who have found effective forms of pedagogy that responds to the growing demand by students while also promoting their safety and security. We invite paper proposals that address the pedagogic tools, approaches, and methods that have arisen to meet the historic moment we find ourselves in today. topics may include:
texts or lessons that have been particularly effective at engaging activist-students
Protests across temporal or linguist boundaries that speak to our students
How you balance personal politics, activism, and our responsibilities as educators
Approaches to “teach-ins” or otherwise educating during or about protests
Similar uprisings, rebellions, or riots historically that connect to our political moment
Methods of adjudicating tensions between faculty, administration, and students
the history & rhetoric involved in teaching about student-led protests


If interested, please send a 250-word abstract and CV to warguelles@gradcenter.cuny.edu by September 20th. We particularly welcome abstracts from graduate students and professors who have been directly involved in the protests.