Conference Report
The two-day conference on ‘Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Gender-Based Violence’
sought to explore not only the question of what gender-based violence is but also the more
difficult, and more necessary, question of why it persists. Papers presented at the conference
examined violence as spectacular as well as ordinary. We considered the ways violence is
embedded in systems and structures as well as present in everyday conversations, gestures and
images. The conference addressed questions that refused to be resolved: Why, despite centuries
of literature, testimony, and activism, do the same patterns of harm continue? Why is it that
language—meant to disclose and disrupt—so often conceals? Why is it that in our collective
fatigue, we allow stories to turn into silence?
Day One opened with a keynote—or rather a collaborative performance. Alison Freeman
and Gordon Bearn (LeHigh University) shared their co-authored story, ‘The Housewife, the
Witch, and the Wardrobe.’ Through its slow unfolding of scenes of domestic abuse, the
presentation raised philosophical questions about losses of identity; it also tested the audiences’
‘affectionate attentiveness’, that is, our capacities to listen to the stories of others without closing
them off with resolution or categorisation.
As part of a panel of papers on ‘Recontextualising Violence’, Rowena Azada Palacios
(University of Edinburgh and Atendo de Manila University) examined narratives of masculinity,
femininity and violence from a non-Western perspective. Drawing on Filipino traditions, she
explored how public statues of women are often read as symbols of reverence, yet are also laden
with ambivalence. Palacios asked whether these representations offer a richer conception of
womanhood—or whether they re-inscribe another form of containment.
In another keynote presentation, Paul Standish (IoE-UCL) examined philosophical
questions of voice and the aftermath of trauma. Taking Susan Brison’s ‘Aftermath’ as a starting
point, Standish juxtaposed philosophical analysis with a discussion of Agnès Varda’s
‘Vagabond’. Standish examined how the film’s protagonist, Mona, remains a mystery to the
audience—her story pieced together through fragmentary encounters. Standish explored how
such a narrative structure resists voyeurism and forces us to ask what it means to ‘account for’
another’s pain.
Day Two began with a provocative talk from the artist Chantal Meza, whose visual artwork bears
witness to the femicides in Mexico. Meza’s talk complemented the keynote from Brad Evans on
Day One, which drew attention to the politics of disappearance: the ways violence disappears not
by accident but by design. Meza’s practice was offered not as illustration but as a method: a way
of asking, documenting, and resisting. She presented images not as answers but as openings—
each brushstroke a kind of insistence that the lives of disappeared women must not be lost to
abstraction.
A panel of papers on ‘Expressing Violence’ took further questions of the power of art,
drama, and film for thinking and resisting violence. This thread was further examined in the
keynote from Eileen John (University of Warwick), who reflected on the value and achievements
of fiction in relation to gender-based violence. John’s talk posed important critical questions
about fiction’s capacity to distort as well as represent violence and enable gender-based violence
to register.
The conference culminated in the panel ‘Seeing Violence’, which asked what we fail to
see, and why. The most dangerous forms of violence are those that become aestheticised into
normality. Final keynote talks from Anna Pagès (Ramon Llull University) and Catherine
Wheatley (King’s College London), encouraged us to turn our attention to the micro-encounters
through which harm is delivered and denied.
This conference sought to bring philosophy, art and politics together to reckon with
violence; we sought to understand gender based violence not as a problem to be solved, but as a
question that is always already unfolding.
Adoption of Good Practice Guidelines
We are pleased to report that the conference formally adopted the British Philosophical
Association (BPA) and Society for Women in Philosophy (SWIP) Good Practice Guidelines.
These were used as guiding principles to ensure equality, inclusion, and diversity in
participation, discussion, and representation. We followed these practices by:
▫ Speaker Selection: We featured nine female speakers, including five keynote speakers.
Unfortunately, two of our female speakers were unable to travel due to family
commitments, so we made the conference hybrid to accommodate their needs.
▫ We ensured that our speakers came from diverse cultural backgrounds and represented
various stages of their careers to provide a range of perspectives.
▫ We encouraged everyone to participate in social gatherings, fostering an atmosphere of
inclusivity and support.
Speaker Participation
The conference featured a total of nine women speakers, five of whom delivered keynote
lectures. The speakers represented a wide range of institutions and disciplines and were selected
to reflect international and intersectional perspectives on gendered violence.
Accessibility and Dissemination
To promote greater accessibility and inclusion, all keynote sessions were recorded. These
recordings are being made available to enable attendees and interested parties who were unable
to join due to other commitments to access the content. This decision reflects our commitment to
making philosophical and artistic discussions on violence against women and girls more widely
available and inclusive.
Next Steps and Publication Plans
Following the enthusiastic reception and powerful presentations across the two days, we are now
exploring publication opportunities to further disseminate the work of the conference. All
speakers have expressed interest in contributing to a collected volume. We are currently
exploring potential academic publishers and would welcome a conversation with the BSA team
about how best to pursue and support this next phase.
Appreciation and Acknowledgements
We extend our sincere thanks to all the speakers, attendees, and organisers whose dedication and
insight made the event such a success. The conference offered a powerful testament to the value
of bringing philosophical inquiry, aesthetic practice, and gender justice into conversation. We are
extremely grateful for this grant which has certainly provided a space to discuss this vital and
pressing topic in our current times. Thank you.