Transform-able Identity/ies

Society transforms identity/ies as much as identity/ies transform social patterns, institutions, and shared values. Art embodies, empowers, imagines, transcends, drifts, challenges, and elicits transform-able identity/ies. Identity is not only the outcome of transformation through oppression, (de)construction, normalization, but also its driver by means of subversion, sedimentation, and resistance. 

This conference seeks to create a supportive environment for diverse and innovative research, in hopes of generating and exchanging critical thought, and breaking exclusionary or silencing boundaries. By socially constructing, deconstructing, understanding, and transforming identity through presentations, discussions, and artistic expression, the organizers aim to:

• Reach beyond traditional conference structures and implement a fruitful dialogue between different forms of expression, reflection, and critical analysis
• Create brave spaces to discuss ideas, on-going research, and experiences related to complex subjects
• Raise, display, and discuss critical questions, such as: 
  • Who or what defines identity/ies?
  • How do culture, religion, institution, society, and social location influence or shape identity—and are shaped in turn by it?
  • What modes are effective (or ineffective) for exposing, exploring, and transforming individual or community-based identity/ies?
  • How have communities or individuals been influenced to or forced to change or reinterpret identity/ies?
  • How can identity/ies shifts and transformations be processed and understood?
  • How can performance and patterns of identity lead to social transformation?