Feminism and Hip Hop Conference hosted by the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago April 7-9, 2005

The Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture (CSRPC) at the University of Chicago will host the first national conference on the topic of 'Feminism and Hip Hop' on April 7-9, 2005. This conference will provide a forum where scholars, students, artists, activists, community members, and members of the media can gather to discuss and analyze the relevance of feminist agendas to the hip hop generation. This conference will highlight the work of scholars, activists and artists across the country who are fighting for progressive representations of women in hip hop culture as they reshape feminist discourse and politics. Confirmed participants include: Moya Bailey, Yvonne Bynoe, Hazel Carby, Rosa Clemente, Alison Duke, Melyssa Ford, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Tamika Guishard, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Byron Hurt, Cheryl Keyes, Felicia Miyakawa, Jessica Care Moore, Joan Morgan, Marcyliena Morgan, Mark Anthony Neal, Kim Osorio, Imani Perry, Gwendolyn Pough, Rachel Raimist, Rokafella, Tricia Rose, and Akiba Solomon.

In today’s increasingly mediated environment hip hop remains the most pronounced cultural identifier for young Americans regardless of gender, class or ethnicity. Alongside its various aesthetic contributions, the culture operates as a springboard for discourse surrounding the politics, desires, and activities of today’s youth and young adults. And while a substantial literature has emerged detailing the history and the current cultural domination of hip hop, there has also developed substantial writing and some research warning of the possible negative impact of hip hop culture on young African Americans, stemming from its focus and promotion of sex, drugs, crime, misogyny, consumerism and nihilism. This conference will provide the needed space for debate and discussion about the impact of hip hop culture on the sexual, gender and racial understandings of young people around the world. The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture (CSRPC) at the University of Chicago is an interdisciplinary program dedicated to promoting engaged scholarship and debate around the concepts of race and ethnicity. Faculty affiliated with the Center recognize the significance of the black/white paradigm in the United States, however, we are committed to expanding the study of race and ethnicity beyond the black/white paradigm. Broadly, our research program encourages the study of race and processes of racialization in comparative and transnational frameworks. Central to our work is the acknowledgement that race and ethnicity intersect with other primary identities such as gender, class, sexuality and nationality, necessitating the exploration of social and identity cleavages within racialized communities. Fundamentally, we are committed to producing engaged scholarship that rejects the false dichotomy between rigorous intellectual work and community activism. We seek instead to contribute intellectually challenging and innovative sch

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