CALL FOR PAPERS:
Virtual Praxis 2009: The Women's International Community in Second Life

A conference to be held on Minerva, the teaching and research space in Second Life maintained by The Department of Women’s Studies, Ohio State University. Saturday, November 21 - Sunday November 22, 2009.

In 2008 the first Virtual Praxis Conference was held on Minerva; academics, activists, librarians, artists and digital media professionals met to share their experiences in Second Life and to discuss the development of a new kind of women's community. This November, we hope to learn about international cooperation in our virtual world.

You are invited to submit an abstract (250 words maximum) for individual 20-minute presentations or panels on an aspect of international activism or cooperation by women in the Second Life community. Proposals will be selected with a view to giving a broad perspective of the advantages of a women's international community in Second Life. If you are working or have worked on a project in that has an international aspect, or if you are planning a project with an international perspective, please consider contributing to the conference.

Some suggested topics:

International perspectives on diversity
Women's health
Violence against women and children
Women and development
Women and the environment
Women and education
Women and work
Women and the arts

Please include contact information with your submission, as well as your time zone, and send to the address below. The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2009.

E-mail to:
Dr. Sharon Collingwood
Department of Women’s Studies
The Ohio State University
collingwood.7@osu.edu

Virtual Praxis: A Conference on Women’s Community in Second Life

Held on Minerva, the teaching and research space in Second Life maintained by The Department of Women’s Studies, Ohio State University, Saturday, November 15, 2008

As teachers, librarians, artists, health care workers, and as volunteers in the many charitable and activist organizations of Second Life, women are a very visible element of our virtual community. The number of women’s groups and community centers is increasing, supported by an informal network of committed individuals. Those who come here out of curiosity often find themselves involved in these community activities, and those who came for professional reasons often find that their interests have widened and diversified as they have come into contact with Second Life society. Is what we do here just relaxation, a metaphor for what we do in real life, or do our Second Life activities have importance for our home communities and for society in general?

Some of the papers given at this conference are archived here.



OSU Women's Studies exhibit at Second Life's 5th birthday celebration, June 23 - July 7, 2008.




Learn facts about women and work around the world, and how the many nonprofit organizations in the field of women and development are working to change women's lives.