This year's theme is Engaging Transformative Justice as Feminist Praxis. The conference will help attendees to envision creative ways of approaching mental health, scholarship, and activism that are non-carceral and liberatory- embodying the essence of diverse and inclusive feminisms. Our invited speakers will help us think critically about our feminist practices within the context of community-building, radical inclusivity, activism, and mental health as an institution. Pre-Conference workshops will occur on Thursday, March 2, 2023, followed by a welcome reception from 5-7pm and additional activities. Our first keynote speaker will kick off a full day of presentations and conversation on Friday, March 3, concluding with music and dancing. Saturday, March 4 will open with the annual awards ceremony and our second keynote speaker, followed by additional presentations, opportunities to volunteer with Atlanta-based organizations engaging in feminist justice work, and more fun! Presentations will continue Sunday morning, March 5, followed by a closing ceremony that will wrap up the conference midday.
The abolitionist perspective contends belief that all people deserve to live with integrity and dignity and to be treated according to their full humanity and as such, is consistent with feminist psychology. Through the lens of abolitionist feminism, we can analyze and dismantle oppression through an approach that acknowledges the intersectional and structural violence that people and communities face. This year's conference will focus on AWP's commitment to "challenge unexamined privilege and dominant discourses that marginalize and oppress within psychology and the wider society" through the perspective of abolitionist feminism. To honor this theme, we specifically welcome proposals related to the following:
Highlighted Sub-Themes
· Transformative Justice Processes within Psychology Spaces
· Non-Carceral Approaches to Healing Interpersonal and Community Harm
· Abolition
· Abortion Rights and Reproductive Justice
· Environmental Justice and Ecofeminism
· Community-Based Interventions in Gender-Based Violence
· Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusivity
All proposals related to feminist psychology are welcome and will be reviewed. If your proposal does not directly address one of the subthemes listed above, please discuss the relevance of your work to the broader conference theme.
Workshop: Workshops are designed to share skills, knowledge, and/or experience in research, issue-oriented, or learning/practice areas. Workshops will last 50 minutes and should be live, interactive sessions.
Symposium: Panel presentations of up to 3 papers, grouped together regarding a shared topic of interest. Sessions must include a chair who will facilitate the session and may also have a discussant. Sessions will be 50 minutes and may be either live or pre-recorded with time available for participant Q&A.
Structured Discussion: These are live, 50-minute facilitated dialogues designed to bring together those working on similar problems, issues, or concepts to discuss new ideas and to engage in problem-solving. Presenters share their ideas and facilitate group discussion. The majority of the discussion should be focused on audience participation.
Paper Presentation: Formal presentation of theoretical issues, research data, clinical case material, treatment methods, program descriptions, etc. More interactive presentations are preferred. Individual papers are grouped together by the program review committee around similar themes. Please allow time for introduction and audience questions (12-15 minutes).
Poster Presentation: Visually inviting presentations of an individual study or project, including graphs, tables, pictures, etc. Additionally, the poster author(s) should be available for the discussion of their work during the poster session.
Lightning Talk (Abbreviated Paper Presentations): 7-minute presentations of theoretical issues, research data, clinical case material, treatment methods, program descriptions, etc. Presenters will upload their video ahead of the conference, and the conference organizers will group up to 5 presentations on similar topics in a 50-minute session, including time for Q&A.
Book Blitz: Authors of new books released between January 2020 and March 2023 will discuss their work in a 5-7 minute presentation, along with other authors. Presentations are followed by a celebration of our authors at the book table.
Full details about poster dimensions and how to prepare for presentations will be sent to all accepted presenters. Tech support for creating presentation materials using captioning technology will be available. Accessibility coordinators will also be available throughout the conference to ensure that each session has appropriate support. Tech and accessibility coordinators may be reached at: awpsych2023@gmail.com
Proposals can be submitted online starting September 23, 2023. The priority deadline is October 28 and proposals submitted by this date will be given top priority for inclusion in the program. Submissions will be accepted through November 4. There will be no further extensions. Please limit to 2 presentations per person, except poster submissions. Click here to get to the submission portal.
All submissions must include:
The contact information for all presenters
250-500-word abstract describing the session with scholarly references to be used for peer review. (For symposia, you must also include a 50 word abstract for each individual paper.)
50-word brief abstract describing the session to be used in the conference program
If you would like your presentation or workshop to be considered for CE credits, or would prefer that your workshop be offered during the Pre-Conference times, you will be able to indicate this interest on the submission portal.
Proposals will be accepted on the basis of masked review. Notification of acceptance or rejection of program proposals will be made to the corresponding author by early December 2022. The corresponding author has the responsibility to inform co-authors.
Questions about the call for proposals? Email: awpsych2023@gmail.com
All participants are required to register for the conference. Registration will be available online from the 2023 Conference link on the AWP website at: http://www.awpsych.org starting in November 2022. Register by Friday, February 3, 2023, to receive early registration rates.
Michelle Aiello, Dawn Bates, Kenna Bolton-Holz, Gia Davis, Karol Dean, Rachel Dyer, Rebecca Gwira, Vanessa Hetting, Cassandra Hinger, Devin Kelly, Sharon Lamb, Maggie Manges, Shay McManus, Tiffany O’Shaughnessy, Noelany Pelc, shola shodiya-zeumault, Christine Smith, Cat Thompson, Alicia Trotman
The Program Committee is recruiting individuals to assist them in reviewing the proposals submitted for possible inclusion in the 2023 Program. To volunteer, sign into (or create) your AWP account at https://awpsych.org/ (click "Member Login" in the upper right corner), scroll down to "Proposal Review," and select three areas of expertise under the AWP 2023: Transformative Justice as Feminist Praxis section.
