Against Patriarchy Conference in Eugene, Oregon (4-6 May)

This is a conference that seeks to resist, challenge, and deconstruct damages wrought by patriarchy and its many manifestations - some of which include racism, sexism, the destruction of the Earth, the murder and exploitation of the world's poor and indiginous, and many other forms of oppression. Focuses at this years conference include feminism, community, anarchy, ecodefense, and more.

This year's conference will take play May 4th, 5th and 6th on the University of Oregon and feature a keynote address from Ecofeminist author and activist Noel Sturgeon. Confirmed workshops include: Critical Masculinities, Anarcha-feminism, critical discussion of Sex Workers, and more.

Our group is still looking for additional organizers, funding, and workshop presenters/panelists. We meet every Thursday at 7:45 pm in Eugene. Email againstpatriarchy [at] gmail.com for details.



--------------------------

Let's be clear, what is PATRIARCHY?

A very "straight" forward definition: patriarchy is a set of social and institutional agreements in which men have authority over women and children. However, it's also a system in which straight, white women maintain privilege in terms of class and race. This presents the need for a more nuanced foundation in understanding patriarchy and enabling the process in reflecting and coming to terms with the multifarious ways in which patriarchy enters our lives.

- Within western society, patriarchy is a system in which men hold primary authority and is deeply linked to systems of white supremacy and civilization.

- Patriarchy is a system of entitlement that rewards behavior that is anti-woman, anti-queer, anti-body, anti-nature, and anti-color. Patriarchal values are embodied in everyday life whether in an essentialized notion of beauty, a woman locked in her home, or the intersecting oppressions of racism, classism, and sexism that occludes voices from the margins.

-Anyone, whether he/she occupies a subordinated category or not, can gain power and privilege by advocating patriarchal values.

-Patriarchy is cross-cultural and reflects multiple prisms of subordination including the mutually reinforcing realities of the nation-state, the nuclear family, the mass media and the "normalization" of values.

-Environmentalism and feminism are linked struggles. The destruction of the environment and the oppression of women are historically mutually enabling.

-As many activists and academics from a wide range of ideologies and focuses have discovered, single-issue struggles fail to create deep-rooted change.


Our Vision


-Resisting patriarchy represents disjuncture within a monolithic cultural discourse. Since patriarchy tells one story—the naturalization of power and oppression, globalization, binary genders, etc.—a feminist consciousness can create space for multiple ways of knowing, which are pro-body, pro-nature, pro-agency, and pro-community.

- This gathering is meant to bring passionate people together in an empowering yet challenging environment.

-This year's Against Patriarchy Gathering will focus on environmentalism, feminism, anti-racism, queer politics, and anarchy.

-We are not shy of radical change, deep coalitions, or personal and political risk.


the current webpage is: http://againstpatriarchy07.wordpress.com/

the old webpage is http://www.againstpatriarchy.org