In an era marked by profound social, political, and economic transformations, inequalities - whether based on race, gender, class, ethnicity, age, or other dimensions - remain pervasive challenges globally. While the complex mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion are constantly at play, we are also witnessing the development of alternative strategies and practices that challenge these inequalities.
The conference “Facing Inequalities – Strategies for Change” focuses on the intersections of multiple inequalities and questions how mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion are (re)produced, negotiated, and challenged through alternative imaginations and practices. It aims to foster a deeper understanding of these complexities and explore strategies to promote equality, inclusivity, and justice.
Racism, Bordering and Contemporary Necropolitics
Keynote Lecture by Nira Yuval-Davis / 6 November 2025, 18:00-19:30
Abstract
The double crisis of governability and governmentality of neo-liberal globalisation has brought with it the rise of huge local and global social, economic and political inequalities as well as different kinds of identity politics, both on the Right and on the Left, as defensive strategies. In this presentation I shall discuss some of the manifestations of these strategies and their effects on contemporary politics of belonging. In particular, I shall focus on the role of everyday bordering in these strategies and the growing necropolitics – the dehumanization of ‘the Other’ and their entitlement to life - as one of their outcomes. The presentation will end with a brief discussion of the kind of the politics of care which will be necessary – although not sufficient – to face up to and change this necropolitical paradigm.
Short Bio
Nira Yuval-Davis is Professor Emeritus, Honorary Director of the Research Centre on Migration, Refugees and Belonging (CMRB) at the University of East London. A diasporic Israeli socialist feminist, Nira has been active in different forums against racism and sexism in Israel and other settler colonial societies as well as in the UK and Europe. Among other activities she has been the President of the Research Committee 05 (on Racism, Nationalism, Indigeneity and Ethnic Relations) of the International Sociological Association, founder member of Women Against Fundamentalism, the international research network on Women In Militarized Conflict Zones and Social Scientists Against the Hostile Environment.
Nira Yuval-Davis has won the 2018 International Sociological Association Distinguished Award for Excellence in Research and Practice. The article she has written with G. Wemyss and K. Cassidy on ‘Everyday Bordering, Belonging and the Reorientation of British Immigration Legislation’, Sociology, 52(2), has won the 2019 Sage Sociology Award for Excellence and Innovation. Among her books Woman-Nation-State, 1989, Racialized Boundaries, 1992, Unsettling Settler Societies, 1995, Gender and Nation, 1997, The Warning Signs of Fundamentalism, 2004, The Politics of Belonging: Intersectional Contestations, 2011, Women Against Fundamentalism, 2014 and Bordering, 2019. She is currently developing her recent article in Sociology on Antisemitism as Racism into a book. Her works have been translated into more than ten languages.
We invite contributions that address (but are not limited to) the following themes:
Legal mechanisms and frameworks on societal cohesion, empowerment and inclusion/exclusion in national and transnational contexts
Gendered dimensions of inequality in historical and contemporary contexts
(Im)mobilities, migration, and inequalities
Social movements and political activism in contesting inequalities
Collective feelings of inequality and (in)justice
The role of educational environments and language in reinforcing stereotypes and exclusion or function as a tool for inclusion
Inequalities in later lives, ageism, and intergenerational dynamics in transforming societies
Translating inequalities: cultural, linguistic, and institutional mediation
The impact of technological developments on inequalities, notably in terms of exacerbation or mitigation
Psychological and neuroscientific approaches to the origins of exclusionary mechanisms and the necessary support for victims of discrimination
Alternative perspectives for diversity and inclusion of minorities and marginalized communities in public spaces
Inequalities in the labor market, poverty, and discrimination in employment opportunities
Ecological dimensions of inequalities and injustices
We welcome abstracts from scholars at all career stages working in disciplines such as sociology, law, political science, economics, history, anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, human rights, and beyond. Contributions with interdisciplinary and comparative approaches are particularly encouraged.
We also invite practitioners, activists and NGOs to bring their expertise into conversation with academic discussions, aiming to develop alternative imaginaries and solutions to multiple inequalities and injustices.
We invite proposals for both individual contributions that address the conference theme and panels with 3–4 speakers and a discussant. We also welcome book panels with the participation of the author(s) and discussants.
Please submit a 300-word abstract along with a short biographical note (max. 150 words) to europe(at)uni-graz.at by April 30, 2025.
We plan to publish a selection of contributions in a special issue of an international peer-reviewed journal or an edited volume following the conference
| Abstract Submission Deadline | April 30, 2025 |
| Notification of Acceptance | June 30, 2025 |
| Paper Submission Deadline | September 30, 2025 |
| Conference Dates | November 6-7, 2025 |
We offer financial support to a limited number of participants. Independent scholars and early career researchers will receive priority. Please indicate your interest in financial support when submitting your application.
Many roads lead to Austria’s second biggest city – and there are almost as many ways to get there.
The Conference will take place at ReSoWi building (Universitätsstraße 15) in rooms SZ 15.21 (Building A, 2nd floor), Leopoldine Schmidt room (Building B, ground floor) and SR 15.48 (Building D, 4th floor).
Book your stay in Graz now!
Conference Organization
| Graz School of Interdisciplinary Transnational Studies |
| Graz School of Interdisciplinary Transnational Studies |
The conference "Facing Inequalities – Strategies for Change" is supported by
