Feminist Analysis, Cultural Analysis, and the Question of (Inter)Disciplinarity:

A Statement of Intellectual Commitment by the Conference Organizers

It is against the backdrop of the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the relentless velocity of racialized violence in the United States, and the continued contraction of humanities (inter)disciplines in response to escalating fiscal austerity measures among public and private universities that (Inter)Disciplining Culture takes shape. This conference is, first, an intentional acknowledgement and celebration of the critical-intellectual potential of William & Mary undergraduate students who are engaging with the challenging themes and ideas presented by gender, sexuality, and women's studies.

Organized by graduate student teaching fellows, (Inter)Disciplining Culture is also and equally an invitation extended to the William & Mary university community that calls for a revitalized recognition of the foundational importance of humanities scholarship and teaching to the mission of the university. Substantive, engaged, and intellectually constructive dialogue between students and faculty must remain at the forefront of our community's collective focus. To continuously aspire toward realizing that ideal, students must be able to receive the intellectual support they need to ignite their curiosities and passions, and faculty must be provided the resources and spaces required for the work of critical thought and scholarly intervention. Absent these means, commitments to "lifelong learning, generat[ing] new knowledge, and expanding understanding," aspirations to "cultivate creative thinkers, principled leaders, and compassionate global citizens," and ideals of "conven[ing] great minds and hearts to meet the most pressing needs of our time" will remain out of reach. To respond to the challenges and imperatives of our contemporary present, however, we must maintain our commitment to the university's mission and to ensuring access to the knowledge, resources, and collaborative atmosphere that define that mission.