Feminist Art History Now

This panel invites contributions that seek to evaluate, critique and imagine feminist art history in the present moment, when noticeable gains in the representation of women artists – as well as other underrepresented constituencies – coincide with a growing tide of hostile gender politics, racism, colonial entitlement, ableism and homophobia. What characterises a feminist politics within and against Art History when, for instance, foundational understandings of gender recognition are contested in legal battles in the UK Supreme Court, encouraging hatred and violence against trans women? Or, how might feminist art histories of transnational solidarity be expressed against the political rhetoric that positions the UK as an ‘island of strangers’?

While resistant to the novelty of ‘newness’, and alive to continuities with longstanding feminist art historical methods and approaches, we invite papers that address contemporary conceptual challenges with reference to art and visual culture of any period or region. These might consider intersectionality in feminist art history; the relationship between trans studies and feminism; new models for understanding feminist relationality; or the practice of feminist art history in relation to activism, archives, publishing, exhibition making, collecting, consciousness-raising or pedagogy. Reflections on recent work, or longstanding projects are welcome, as are speculative papers, or ideas in formation.

Ultimately this panel asks, where is Feminist Art History Now? What are its tools, and coalitions, its limits and affordances?

The format will be 20-minute papers.

Submit your Paper via this form. Please download, complete and send it directly to the Session Convenor(s) below by Sunday 2 November 2025:

Dr Amy Tobin, University of Cambridge, ajt207@cam.ac.uk