Elon students and faculty present at Women’s and Gender Studies South Conference

The annual Women’s and Gender Studies South Conference gathers scholars from across the region to present “scholarship and activism eliminating oppression and discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity and expression, race, age, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic background, physical ability, and class.”

This year’s theme, “Care Feminisms, Crip Futures,” encouraged attendees to consider the intersections of gender and disability. Eight Elon faculty, staff, current students and alumni attended the conference to present, share and learn about current work in the field.

“After presenting and attending at WGS South, I came to the realization that conferences like this are truly spaces for conversation and reflection, rather than perfection,” said Morgan Seate ‘25. “It is a place for collaboration and relationship-building, encouraging the collective growth of all who attend, which was beautiful to see in person!”

Student Presentations

• Daniel Haley ’25 presented their paper, “Toward an Anasexual Study”
• Morgan Seate ’25 presented her paper, “Embracing Ambiguity: Feminist Pedagogies, Mutual Aid, and the Unknown”

WGS Roundtable

Lauren Guilmette from the Department of Philosophy and Leyla Savloff from the Department of Anthropology, the co-coordinators for the Elon Women’s and Gender, and Sexualities Studies Program, led a roundtable to discuss the future and growth of the program at Elon. Attendees of the workshop engaged in creative zine-making and discussion.

Faculty Presentations

• Archie Crowley (English) presented their paper “Language and Trans Community Care in the Carolinas”
• María Mejía (Philosophy) presented her paper “A Praxis of Revolutionary Inside/Outside Care”

Alumni Presentations

• Billie Waller ’23, who is now a MA Student at UNC Charlotte, co-presented his paper “Decolonial Trans Futurity: A Trans of Color Critique of Normative Assimilation” with Sanjula Rajat from the University of Oregon.