Femmes Créa(c)tives: The Life and Work of Francophone Women in the Arts and Media

This international, interdisciplinary conference seeks to bring together scholars of all fields to explore and celebrate the contribution of women in the creative arts around the Francophone world.

Due to their portrayal in both the media and in popular culture, French women have, for decades, seemed synonymous with progress, liberalism, and feminine agency. In a world where (post)feminism is more and more visible, scholars on both sides of the Channel are increasingly focusing on the work of Francophone women, exploring the interaction between this concept of “agency” and these women as creative figures. What role do gender relations play in the creation and reception of women’s work? Does increasing gender equality in the creative industries affect the impact of, or presence of agency in, women’s creative endeavours? Is a “femme creative” also, by extension, a “femme active,” and what effect does this have? This conference seeks to answer these questions and more by bringing together scholars to investigate the work of women writers, film-makers, artists, journalists and other creatives not only from France, but around the Francophone world, building transnational and transcultural links within the field of Francophone women’s studies.