Organized by:
English Literary Association
Department of English
Jesus and Mary College
Concept Note
Girlhood Studies emerged as a distinct field of study in the 1990s, in the Anglophone North,
influenced by a growing discourse on gender equality, especially in fields like science, math,
and technology. However, its roots can be traced back to the 1970s when second wave
feminist scholars began critiquing the disproportionate focus on boyhood in youth research.
In the West, Black Girlhood Studies has emerged to address the under-representation of
Black girls in the field. Similarly, there has been powerful scholarship examining the cross-section of disabilities with Girlhood Studies. Recently, South Asian scholars have made
critical interventions in the field by exploring the historical erasure of the experiences of
girlhood in the region. They have highlighted how the figure of the girl has been
overdetermined by the anxieties about, and for, the woman she would become. Seen always
as only “becoming a woman,” and never allowed to be a girl, the South Asian woman,
nonetheless, has been treated like a little girl who needs “protection.” Given these
paradoxical operations of erasure, hypersexualisation and infantilisation, it is no surprise
that girls and “girlhood” are missing from Indian novels. Obviously, “Swami & Friends” did
not, indeed, could not have any sisters whose childhood predicaments and perplexities,
pranks and play, merited any attention! Pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial girlhoods are
now being investigated from many different perspectives. By using an intersectional
approach, for example, Dalit and Adivasi girlhoods have emerged as distinct fields of
research.
About the Seminar
This student seminar invites in-depth and extensive exploration of the conceptualization of
girlhood in all types of literary (fictional and non fictional), performative and multimedial narratives. The seminar hopes to arrive at a richer understanding of the multiple
experiences and constructions of “girlhood” through time, especially in its complex interplay
with traditional or modern hegemonic discursivities, socio-cultural formations and politico economic imperatives. Also, this student seminar aims to establish Critical Girlhood Studies
as a robust academic domain of research amongst young scholars.
We invite undergraduate and postgraduate students to submit their contributions for an
interdisciplinary student seminar that delves into the many dimensions of Girlhood Studies.
Coming of age and other narratives
Subcultures and fandoms
Social media and girlhood
Disability and girlhood studies
Capitalism, consumerism, and girlhood
Performing girlhood
Intersectionality of race, religion, ethnicity, caste, class, etc.
Menstruation
Queering and trancing girlhoods
Media and representation
Violence, risks, and betrayals
Education, health, and rights
Mobility and access
Beauty standards and body dysmorphia
Girl brides
Play and sports
We welcome papers and presentations that explore, but
are not limited to, the following themes:
- Coming of age and other narratives
- Subcultures and fandoms
- Social media and girlhood
Disability and girlhood studies
- Capitalism,
- consumerism, and girlhood
- Performing girlhood
- Intersectionality of race, religion, ethnicity, caste, class, etc.
- Menstruation
Queering and transing girlhoods
- Media and representation
- Violence, risks, and betrayals
- Education, health, and rights
Mobility and access
- Beauty standards and body dysmorphia
Girl brides
Play and sports
We welcome papers and presentations that explore, but
are not limited to, the following themes:
PLEASE NOTE:
This seminar will be held in the hybrid
mode. The first day (1st November)
will be held online on Zoom.
The
second day (2nd November) will be an
in-person event at Jesus and Mary
College, DU. Artwork: Young Girls by Amrita Sher-Gill
Abstract Submission Deadline
19th October 2023
Notification of Acceptance
29th October 2023
Full Paper Submission Deadline
You can submit your abstract using this GoogleForm: bit.ly/GirlSeminar
Alternatively you can email it to: girluninterrupted2023@gmail.com
Name and Contact information
Paper Title - Full paper title for the presentation
Paper Abstract - 250-word abstract
4-5 keywords
Word Document; 12 Times New Roman; Double spaced
Your submission should contain:
Girl, (Un)Interrupted
Important Dates
This National Student Seminar is open to undergraduate and postgraduate
students of all streams from different academic institutions across the
country. The presenters will need to show their current ID as proof of
academic affiliation. Presenters from outside Delhi may opt for presenting
in the online mode on the second day.
WHO CAN APPLY?
CERTIFICATES
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT:
All the registered participants will be issued e-certificates of
participation/presentation.
FOR FURTHER QUERIES, PLEASE CONTACT:
GIRLUNINTERRUPTED2023@GMAIL.COM
San Martin Marg, Bapu Dham, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi 110021
Register here:
bit.ly/GirlUninterrupted
