The two-day workshop explores how sexual violence has been understood and theorized by feminist scholars and by activists over time. Focusing particularly on the US American context, our purpose is to offer background on how feminist understandings of sexual violence have evolved since the mid 20th century, and to discuss the conflicting conceptual tools feminist political theorists, researchers, and activists have offered so far.
Participants of this workshop will be presented a thorough overview on the history of feminist political analyses of sexual violence in the light of different paradigms of feminist theory. How did activists of the women’s liberation movement politicize sexual violence? What have the paradigms of gender construction and intersectional analysis yielded so far with regard to our understanding of sexual violence? What are their implications for activism in the field?
As importantly we will flesh out contemporary debates, hoping to facilitate a controversial and productive interactive discussion among participants on the conflicts and challenges that mark feminist critiques of sexual violence today. How is #MeToo situated in the history of feminist theory and activism against sexual violence? What is „carceral feminism“ and how does it relate to feminist anti-sexual violence work? How do queer theory and politics of gender-identity affect feminist thought on sexual violence?
Participants are invited to present aspects of their own research, for example open questions, primary sources, challenging findings etc., on the second day of the workshop. If you are interested in presenting your work, please contact Prof. Renee Heberle (renee.Heberle@utoledo.edu) or Lisa Gabriel (gabriel@soz.uni-frankfurt.de) by January 16th, 2026.
Renee Heberle is professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program in Law and Social Thought at the University of Toledo, Ohio. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1996. Her publications include “Rethinking the Social Contract: Masochism and Masculinist Violence” in the volume Theorizing Sexual Violence (2009) that she co-edited with Victoria Grace. Her essay, “Sexual Violence” was published in the Oxford Handbook on Gender, Sex, and Crime. She is also editor of Feminist Interpretations of Theodor Adorno (2006) and has published numerous other peer reviewed articles. She was the coordinator of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange program at the University of Toledo from 2010 to 2024.
Lisa Gabriel is a Doctoral Candidate at the Institute of English and American Studies at Goethe University. Her current research looks at the intellectual history of American women’s political thought and activism against sexual violence. She is a member of the International research Group »Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict« (SVAC).
The CGC strives to make its events as accessible as possible. If you require assistance to participate in our event, please let us know your support needs by December 18, 2025, by emailing cgcentrum@soz.uni-frankfurt.de. We will then endeavor to reduce any barriers within the scope of our possibilities.
You are welcome to attend this event with your children. Please contact us at the above email address by December 18, 2025, if you would like us to arrange childcare. We look forward to seeing you there.
Please register by 16 January 2026.