Welcome to the first annual GSC symposium!

Thank you all for your interest in the Girlhood Studies Collective and our first annual symposium, “The Girl in Theory: Toward a Critical Girlhood Studies.” When we first started planning this event, we hoped to get at least enough submissions for 3 panels. After receiving over 115 submissions from across the world, our planning quickly turned to how could we include as many people as possible with such a small team. An exciting problem to have!

This symposium emerged out of a desire to meet and engage in conversation with other scholars who do critical research on the girl and girlhood. While the field of girlhood studies has been the home of a lot of this work, we recognize that the girl appears in much scholarship that doesn’t explicitly call itself “girlhood studies.” As such, we wanted to bring folks together from a variety of disciplinary and methodological locations by hosting an accessible space of conversation and inquiry for the next iteration of critical studies of girlhood.

As a graduate student-run operation, we are grateful for our community’s support. We wish to extend a special thanks to Kate Cairns and Jessica Calvanico for their work on the planning committee, and to our Rutgers-Camden Childhood Studies and Gender Studies communities for their support and encouragement.

Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback and interest we have received, it is clear that this symposium, and the GSC, fills a gap for scholars of girls, girlhood, and girls’ culture. We are excited for what is to come, and we hope you all continue to join us – in our Discord community, at upcoming events, and at our future symposiums (maybe even an in-person one!).

Most sincerely,
Halle Singh & E Lev Feinman
“The Girl in Theory” co-chairs
Girlhood Studies Collective co-founders