Call for Presentations

Conference date: Friday 23rd January 2026
Location: Online (Queen Mary University of London)
Format: To ensure fair access, the conference will take place online and will be free of charge.
Deadline for Presentation Proposals: Monday 1 September 2025, 08:00 am UK time.

Overview

In recent years, the promotion of gender-inclusive language has been a focus of social, political, and institutional reform across the globe. However, in many contexts, this momentum has slowed, stalled, or encountered significant resistance.

This conference brings together scholars and practitioners to examine the current contestation of and resistance to the implementation of gender-inclusive language across different cultural and institutional settings. The focus will be on domains of action and influence, rather than isolated language case studies.

Guidelines for Presentation Proposals

We invite proposals for 20-minute presentations (to be followed by a 10-minute Q&A) that address a specific domain or arena of influence. Presentations may focus on a single country, language, or institution, provided they are situated within one of the thematic areas listed below.

While this is not a requirement, we particularly welcome presentations that include comparative, cross-linguistic, or cross-institutional perspectives; whether across countries, sectors (e.g. government vs. grassroots), or time periods.

Suggested Domains for Focus

You are invited to submit proposals that examine the (increasing) resistance to or pushback against gender-inclusive language in one of the following areas:

• Government & Law
  – National legislation, public policy, judicial decisions
  – Language in constitutions, statutes, or administrative codes
• Private Sector / Corporations
  – DEI strategies, internal communication guidelines, branding decisions
• Significant Individuals and Publications
  – Public intellectuals, activists, or authors whose work has shaped discourse
  – Analysis of influential texts, articles, or speeches
• Education
  – School curricula, university policies, teacher training, student responses
• Media and Journalism
  – Editorial standards, framing in news stories, portrayal in popular culture
• Digital Platforms and Technology
  – Social media moderation, translation tools, AI language models
• Religious and Traditional Institutions
  – Theological debates, institutional positions, cultural tensions
• Grassroots Activism and Civil Society
  – Campaigns, protest movements, community initiatives
• Language Standardisation and Linguistic Institutions
  – National academies, dictionary publishers, linguistic authorities
• You may also propose an alternative thematic focus, provided it is clearly defined and analytically grounded.

Please note: We ask that you do not focus on public attitudes and/or opinion research, as this was the subject of our earlier international conference “Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language: A Multinational Perspective”, held on 8–9 September 2022.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

Please send the following in a single MS Word (.docx) file:

• Your full name, with your family name(s) in capital letters (example: María Teresa FERNÁNDEZ DE LA VEGA)
• Your affiliation
• Title of your presentation
• Abstract (maximum 300 words), clearly stating:
  – The specific domain of focus
  – The empirical or theoretical material to be discussed
  – The relevance to the broader conversation on gender-inclusive language
• At the end of your abstract, please include some relevant references or sources (maximum 200 words)
• Brief biography (maximum 100 words)

Please email your submission (please do use the subject line: “Proposal Submission for the Backlash Conference”) to the conference organiser (details below).

Please note that this is the Call for Presentations only. A separate “registration-only” call will follow for non-presenters. Presenters and those whose proposals are not accepted will be registered automatically.

Contact

For questions or further information, or to submit your proposal (please do use the subject line: “Proposal Submission for the Backlash Conference”), contact the conference organiser:

Dr Falco Pfalzgraf
f.pfalzgraf@qmul.ac.uk
Queen Mary University of London
School of the Arts
Mile End Campus
London E1 4NS

Download this  call for presentations [PDF 209KB].