Occupy gender: How women and queer people find their voice in mass movements

Abstract

The theme of this conference, Occupy Free Speech: Getting Women's Voices Heard, is nothing if not ecumenical. It compels us to participate in an activity that is intrinsic to feminist thought: ending the social--"silencing of women's experience. Yet while the task of 'getting women's voices heard' seems straightforward enough, before we set ourselves to such a task, we might wish to address some compelling foundational questions posed by this theme. For example: what qualifies as 'getting women's voices heard'? What are the particular anticipated outcomes of ending women's silence?