Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, & Sexuality GCWS

10/11/2026

Meet the panelists for "Carceral Archipelagos" ✊

We're excited to announce the speakers joining us for the first event in our Feminisms Unbound series:

▪️ Joy James, Professor of the Humanities at Williams College
▪️ Lara, Research Fellow at Institute for Social and Health Sciences
▪️ Anna Terwiel, Associate Professor of Political Theory at Trinity College

Moderated by Andrés Henao Castro, Associate Professor atUMass Boston Department of Political Science

Together they'll examine the prison industrial complex, the carceral logics extending far beyond prison walls, and the feminist organizing building toward more democratic and liberatory worlds.

📅 Wednesday, October 14 | 4-6pm ET
📍 Virtual viaZoom
🔗 Register:
https://ed.gr/ehlo9

10/08/2026

The lineup is set for "Carceral Archipelagos," October 14 📣

Joy James (Williams College), Lara Sheehi (Institute for Social and Health Sciences), and Anna Terwiel (Trinity College) join

join moderator Andrés Henao Castro (UMass Boston Department of Political Science) for a conversation on carceral power, its reach beyond the prison, and what feminist thought and organizing offer in response.

The first event of our 2026-2027 Feminisms Unbound series.

4-6pm ET | Virtual via Zoom
Register here:
https://ed.gr/ehlpb

10/04/2026

Looking for leadership experience that stands out on your CV?

The 2027 GCWS Graduate Student Conference is planned entirely by grad students, and we're recruiting co-organizers from across our nine member institutions.

You'll gain hands-on experience in program development, marketing and outreach, event and vendor management, and communications design. These skills translate directly to careers in and beyond academia.

Interested? Email our Program Manager at [email protected]. Meetings begin in October, so email today!

10/01/2026

What does it take to think and organize against carceral power today?

On October 14, Joy James, Lara Sheehi, and Anna Terwiel take up that question in "Carceral Archipelagos," the opening event of our Feminisms Unbound series, moderated by Andrés Henao Castro.

Their conversation will range across the history of the prison industrial complex, its entanglements with colonialism, imperialism, and late capitalism, and the feminist organizing pushing back.

📅 Wednesday, October 14 | 4-6pm ET | Zoom
🔗 Details and registration:
https://ed.gr/ehlpa

09/27/2026

Build something real, with a team that has your back.

We're looking for graduate students to help organize the next GCWS Graduate Student Conference, our biennial event run by and for grad students.

You'll work alongside peers from different fields, frameworks, and backgrounds, all connected by the GCWS mission. Our Program Manager and Board of Representatives will offer guidance and mentorship every step of the way.

No event-planning experience needed, just enthusiasm. Reach out to [email protected] by October 1 to get involved.

09/24/2026

The prison industrial complex doesn't stand alone. It's bound up with colonialism, imperialism, and late capitalism.

On October 14, "Carceral Archipelagos" brings together feminist thinkers and organizers to trace these connections and explore how we resist them. Moderated by Andrés Henao Castro (UMass Boston).

The first event of our 2026-2027 Feminisms Unbound series. Details and registration:

How does carceral power reach beyond prison walls? Moderated by Andrés Henao Castro, this Boston-area event explores feminist resistance and liberatory worlds. Join the conversation online on October 14, 2026.

09/20/2026

Got a conference theme you've been dying to see come to life? 💡

The 2027 GCWS Graduate Student Conference is shaped by grad students, from the theme and panels to the venue and promotional materials. We're building our next organizing team now, open to students at all nine member institutions.

Bring your ideas, or just bring your curiosity. Either way, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected] by October 1 because meetings start soon after!

09/17/2026

Introducing the 2026-2027 Feminisms Unbound series. ✨

Our first conversation, "Carceral Archipelagos," examines the prison industrial complex, the forms of power it sustains, and the feminist organizing working to build more democratic and liberatory worlds. Moderated by Andrés Henao Castro, Associate Professor of Political Science at UMass Boston.

📅 October 14 | 4-6pm ET
📍 Virtual via Zoom
Save your spot:

How does carceral power reach beyond prison walls? Moderated by Andrés Henao Castro, this Boston-area event explores feminist resistance and liberatory worlds. Join the conversation online on October 14, 2026.

08/27/2026

GCWS Students: Only 3 spots left in Women, Gender, and Sexuality in South Asia!

👉 Apply now: https://ed.gr/ehlko
📅 Deadline: Sept 2 | 📚Classes begin: Sept 9

What happens when a nation imagines itself through the bodies of its women?

In this interdisciplinary course, we explore how gender and sexuality shape South Asia’s encounters with religion, colonialism, and modernity. Drawing on literature, film, scripture, and history, we’ll examine how state and patriarchal power define women and subaltern subjects—and how those subjects resist.

Key Topics:

* Women in religious traditions & goddess worship
* Gender, caste, honor, and chastity
* Hijras and queer/trans identities
* Nationalism, tradition, and violence

If you're ready to question why women's bodies become the battleground for tradition and modernity, grab one of the final 3 spots.

👉 Apply here: https://ed.gr/ehlko