Updates - translation, panel discussion and workshops
So far we haven't been successful in organizing interpreters for sign
language as well as for the spoken languages Turkish und Polish. On one
hand this occured because of the refusals of requested professionals and
on the other hand because of our limited funds. There will probably be sign language interpreters for some workshops (check for updates),
but it seems to be clear that we need your support. Thus, if
it is possible for you to be responsible for one of these
interpreters-tasks or you know of people, who could be able and
interested in doing so, please get in contact with us. To pay an
allowance shouldn't be the problem. In the case of need, we will
try and organize a rather D.I.Y. translation for the
spoken languages Turkish and Polish on the conference itself.
The panel discussion on friday night will be womenlesbiantrans* only.
The workshop by gendertrouble is canceled, the self-assertion ws for kids and the ws on "working with girls / boys" will take place.
Invitation
Hello, we would like to invite you to the conference „Anti-Sexist Practices IV“. It will take place from the 10th till the 12th of september 2010 in the „Mehringhof“ (Berlin-Kreuzberg). The conference offers a place for getting acquainted, for exchange and for networking in order to create and enhance interventions and practices against the sexist normality. You could just mark this date or communicate us wishes and ideas for workshops concerning the conference. For organisational reasons we would really appreciate it, if you could communicate us needs for translation, sign language and additional needs.
Contact: antisexistische-praxen(AT)riseup.net
Concept
Anti-Sexist practices take place every day, are part of the daily resistance as well as the daily reactions and interventions of individuals. Anti-Sexist practice is also support of targeted persons by sexism and sexualized violence on the basis of the concepts partiality and the power of naming by the targeted person. As well as the preventive work and campaigns, may it be against sexist media or for the empowerment of Anti-Sexist politics. The conference offers a place for exchange and for reflections concerning past, present and future Anti-Sexist practices. In addition, there will be room for exchange and networking about the daily forms of sexism, which we are exposed to, how we can confront them, how we can further empower ourselves and how we can attack the relationships of power themselves. One aim of the conference is to bring together the different types of social struggles. For us, this implies the question, in how far, among others, gender, sexuality, codifications of bodies, the pathologization of Trans*- and Intersexuality can constitute intersectional forms of Anti-Sexist practices of resistance together with race, class and ableism, and how they can have an effect, while being thought of together. As the organization team of the conference, we have taken up different topics, which have been thematized in the evaluation of the last conference. On one hand, we are occupied with the fact that the conference as well as the organization team are and were in the past mainly characterized by white people with German citizenship. Due to this context it is important for us, to reflect and to be conscious about the fact that a conference and organization team supposed to be “open” for all people isn’t accessible for all, but rather take place in a white-German dominated surrounding and rather speaks only to particular people because of their particular speaking position. A continuous process of argumentation and reflection, which contains our speaking as well as our attitudes, is here very important for us. Although we clearly see the responsibility for this process on our side, we would really appreciate it, if People of Color would like to continue to take part in the conference or in its organization. Another topic that came up in the evaluation of the last conference refers to the contradiction between the aim to thematize sexism and sexualized violence, to break the silence surrounding them in society and to do politics confronting them on the one hand; and on the other hand by doing so, to open up room for a particular speaking within a public space, which can lead again to further injuries. We are conscious about the possibility that during a workshop on support for targeted people by sexualized violence or on trauma people can be further injured or even retraumatized. For us, this contradiction cannot be solved easily in the first place. What we try to do and what we regard as an important political process, is to work on the different possibilities, how one can deal with it by, for instance, improving the setting, the methods and the supportive surroundings. The conference is open to all genders. Single workshops may be accessible only for people with a particular social positionality or with specific experiences, like for instance particular genders, people, who are targeted by racism, or people, who have undergone traumatic experiences. It is also possible that some workshops will partly be composed of specific working phases, in which people will work together in small groups on the grounds of their social positionality or particular experiences. At the conference there will be special rooms for support and for retreat, so that it is guaranteed that a person, who is not feeling good will get backup and support by just being with the people present there or just by talking to them. So that all people feel themselves comfortable at the conference, it is very important in the end that all individuals act consciously and are accountable for their privileges and structures of power on one hand and are sensitive to the limits, needs and vulnerabilities of other people on the other hand. Persons, who are not acting accordingly to this principle, will be expelled from the conference. People employed by the police or other institutions of repression are also unwelcomed. The conference will take place in the SFE (School for Adult Education) at the Mehringhof (Gneisenaustraße 2a, Berlin-Kreuzberg) within the days from the 10th till the 12th of September 2010. It will contain different formats, like workshops, panel discussions, films, phases for networking, world cafés and other forms of exchange. Workshops will partly be composed of smaller groups for exchange and getting acquainted. The rooms are mainly barrier-free. Due to our limited capacities we are primary organizing the conference itself. If there is a need for accommodation we will organize sleeping places on demand. Everybody needs to take care for getting to the conference individually. Needed subsidies for travelling expenses we will try to organize at the conference itself via donations. This year, we will organize interpreters for sign language as well as for different spoken languages. Additional needs for translation we will be taken care of at the conference itself. There will be a special room and activities for “children”, so that persons to whom they are related will have the possibility to take part at workshops by themselves. At the conference it will be taken care of drinks and food.