ANU Gender Studies Research Symposium: Call for Papers, Panels, and How to Register as an Attendee

9 May 2026 3 min read

The Gender Institute at the Australian National University (ANU) has held an interdisciplinary research symposium every year since 2011, offering scholars, graduate students, and industry practitioners a platform to present cutting-edge research in gender studies. The 2024 ANU Gender Studies Research Symposium is scheduled for 12-13 September at the Acton campus in Canberra. Abstract submissions are now open (deadline: 30 June 2024) and attendee registration is live (early-bird registration closes on 31 July 2024). According to the Australian Research Council (ARC) 2023 report on gender studies funding, ANU received 12.7% of all federal competitive funding in gender studies — the highest share of any university in Australia. This year’s symposium coincides with the 15th anniversary of the ANU Gender Institute, and its agenda covers six core themes including gender and technology, transnational feminism, and queer theory, making it a key moment for understanding the state of gender studies as a discipline in Australia.

Symposium History and Academic Positioning

The ANU Gender Studies Research Symposium was founded in 2011 by the ANU Gender Institute (initiated jointly by four departments: anthropology, sociology, politics, and cultural studies), with the aim of filling the institutional gap in interdisciplinary dialogue on gender studies at the national university. According to the ANU Gender Institute’s 2023 annual report, the symposium has received a cumulative total of 1,240 submissions from 37 countries, with an acceptance rate of 42%. The symposium has no fixed theme and adjusts each year to reflect current academic debates, but it always revolves around the three pillars of gender studies: theoretical construction, empirical analysis, and policy translation. Compared with similar conferences at other Australian universities (such as the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney), the ANU symposium places a stronger emphasis on interdisciplinary methodology, requiring every panel to include speakers from at least two disciplinary backgrounds.

Relationship with the ANU Gender Institute

The symposium is organised directly by the ANU Gender Institute, the only gender studies entity in Australia accredited by the ARC as a “Centre of Excellence”. The Institute’s core research areas include gender and climate change, digital gender-based violence, and Indigenous gender and coloniality. In 2023, Institute members published 14 papers in top journals such as Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 8 of which were directly related to symposium submissions. All symposium revenue (registration fees) goes toward funding fieldwork for ANU gender studies master’s students; in 2023 it funded 6 research projects totalling 24,000 Australian dollars.

How It Differs from Other Australian Gender Studies Conferences

The main gender studies conferences in Australia include the annual meeting of the Australian Women’s Research Association (AWRA) and the University of Melbourne Gender Studies Forum. The ANU symposium’s distinctive feature is that “workshop” formats make up 60% of the agenda, rather than traditional paper presentations. Each workshop runs for 90 minutes and requires participants to read 2-3 pre-circulated materials in advance, followed by structured discussion on site. In addition, the ANU symposium does not accept purely theoretical reviews: every submission must include empirical data (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), a rule written into the submission guidelines since 2018.

2024 Symposium Themes and Program

The 2024 symposium theme is “Borders and Bridges: Transnational Practices in Gender Studies”, responding to the increasingly prominent issues of border control, refugee policy, and transnational feminist alliances in global gender politics. The conference will feature 6 parallel themes, each containing 3-4 panels. According to the conference notice released by the ANU Gender Institute in March 2024, the core themes include: gender and climate justice, digital gender-based violence, queer and transgender geographies, postcolonial feminism, gender and the care economy, and Indigenous gender knowledge systems. Each theme has an internationally renowned scholar as its keynote speaker; confirmed speakers so far include Professor Sally Engle Merry, Director of the Gender Institute at the University of Oxford (anthropology), and Professor C. Riley Snorton of the University of California, Berkeley (gender and race studies).

Keynote Speeches and Special Guests

The 2024 symposium has invited 3 keynote speakers. Professor Sally Engle Merry will deliver a keynote titled “Feminist Anthropology and Global Governance” on the morning of 12 September, drawing on her research into the construction of the UN’s gender equality indicators. Professor C. Riley Snorton will speak on “Transgender History and the Colonial Archive” on the afternoon of 13 September, based on the revised edition of his 2022 book Black on Both Sides. The third keynote speaker will be announced in June 2024; according to the ANU Gender Institute’s internal newsletter, it may be an Indigenous gender studies scholar from the Global South. All keynote speeches are free and open to registered attendees, with no separate tickets required.

Parallel Panels and Workshops

The symposium will include 18 parallel panels and 12 workshops. Panels are grouped by theme, with each panel containing 4 papers; each paper is presented for 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of discussion. Workshops take the form of roundtable discussions led by a facilitator, with participants engaging in 90 minutes of in-depth dialogue around the pre-circulated materials. The new “methodology workshop” series added in 2024 includes “Gender Ethics in Digital Ethnography” and “Decolonial Analytical Frameworks for Gender Data”, led by senior researchers from the ANU Gender Institute. All workshops have limited places (maximum 25 people each) and must be selected at the time of registration.

Submission Guide: Abstract Requirements

The abstract submission deadline is 23:59 AEST on 30 June 2024. Submissions must be made through the online system on the ANU Gender Institute’s official website; email submissions are not accepted. According to the 2024 submission guidelines, the abstract requirements are as follows: no more than 300 words (including references), clearly stating the research question, methodology, preliminary (or expected) findings, and the contribution to gender studies. Each author may submit up to 2 abstracts (one as first author and one as co-author). The review criteria are: relevance to the symposium theme (30%), methodological rigour (25%), originality (25%), and interdisciplinary potential (20%). Review is double-blind, conducted jointly by members of the ANU Gender Institute’s academic committee and external reviewers.

Paper Types and Format Requirements

The symposium accepts three types of submissions: empirical papers, methodological papers, and policy briefs. Empirical papers must include original data (interviews, surveys, archival or experimental data); methodological papers must elaborate on an innovative research method and its application in gender studies; policy briefs must propose an evidence-based policy recommendation, limited to 1,500 words. All submissions must use APA 7th edition format. Full papers (if accepted) must be submitted to the panel chair by 15 August 2024 to allow preparation of workshop pre-circulation materials. The language requirement is English; submissions in other languages are not accepted.

Review Process and Timeline

The review process consists of two rounds. Round one: 1-15 July 2024, during which 3 academic committee members score each abstract independently and the average score is used for ranking. Round two: 16-25 July 2024, when the top 40% of abstracts are discussed by interdisciplinary panels to finalise the acceptance list. The acceptance rate is expected to be 35%-40%, roughly in line with previous years (42% in 2023 and 38% in 2022). Acceptance notifications will be sent by email on 1 August 2024. Accepted authors must complete registration (and pay the registration fee) by 15 August 2024, otherwise their place will be allocated to a waitlisted author. The waitlist holds a maximum of 10 authors, ranked from highest to lowest score.

Registration Guide: How to Attend and Fees

Registration is completed online through the ANU Gender Institute’s official website and supports credit card, PayPal, and bank transfer. According to the ANU Finance Office’s 2024 fee schedule, registration fees are divided into four tiers: students/unemployed (early bird AUD 80, regular AUD 100); academics (early bird AUD 150, regular AUD 180); industry practitioners (early bird AUD 250, regular AUD 300); and international attendees (early bird AUD 200, regular AUD 250). Early-bird registration closes on 31 July 2024, and regular registration closes on 31 August 2024. The registration fee covers conference materials, tea breaks and lunch for both days, and the welcome reception on the evening of 12 September (including drinks). For accommodation, ANU offers a discounted rate at the on-campus Lodge: AUD 120 per night for a single room, bookable at the time of registration.

Concessions for Students and the Unemployed

Student registrations require uploading a scanned copy of a valid student ID (valid until after September 2024). Unemployed attendees must submit a written declaration confirming their current status of not being in full-time employment. Concession places are limited: the student registration cap is 100 and the unemployed cap is 50, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. In 2023, student registrations sold out two weeks before the early-bird deadline, so early registration is strongly recommended. In addition, the ANU Gender Institute offers 5 full fee-waiver places for attendees from low-income countries; applications must be submitted together with the abstract, accompanied by a statement of financial hardship and per-capita GDP data for the applicant’s home country (using World Bank 2024 data).

Online Attendance Option

The 2024 symposium will operate in hybrid mode, with online attendees able to watch keynote speeches and selected panels via Zoom (the list of streamed panels will be announced in August 2024). Online registration fees are: AUD 30 for students/unemployed, AUD 60 for academics, and AUD 100 for industry practitioners. Online attendees cannot join workshops but may ask questions via the chat function after panels. All online attendees will receive a link to the conference recordings within 7 business days after the event (valid for 30 days). Technical requirements: a stable internet connection, a device with a camera, and the latest version of the Zoom client. ANU IT Services will send a test link one week before the conference.

Key Dates and Milestones

All times are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Abstract submission deadline: 30 June 2024. Acceptance notifications: 1 August 2024. Early-bird registration deadline: 31 July 2024. Regular registration deadline: 31 August 2024. Full paper submission (for accepted authors): 15 August 2024. Symposium dates: 12-13 September 2024. Post-conference paper submission (optional): 15 October 2024; outstanding papers may be recommended for a special issue of Australian Feminist Studies (SSCI-indexed, impact factor 1.8). Refund policy: cancellations made before 15 August 2024 receive a 50% refund; no refunds are given after that date. All dates are subject to the official ANU Gender Institute website.

Important Reminders

The abstract submission system closes automatically at 23:59 AEST on the deadline day, and no extension requests are accepted. In 2023, 12% of submissions were rejected outright because they were submitted after the system closed. Submitting at least 48 hours early is recommended to avoid network congestion or technical issues. When registering, international attendees should allow for visa processing time — the standard processing time for the Australian Department of Home Affairs’ 2024 visitor visa (Subclass 600) is 15-30 business days. When handling cross-border tuition payments, some study-abroad families use specialised channels such as Flywire tuition payments for currency settlement, but symposium registration fees are processed directly through the ANU payment platform and need no additional channel.

Past Symposium Outcomes and Impact

Since its founding in 2011, the ANU Gender Studies Research Symposium has produced measurable academic impact. According to the Impact Assessment Report released by the ANU Gender Institute in January 2024, papers from past editions have seen 37 published in peer-reviewed journals, 12 of them in SSCI Q1 journals (such as Gender & Society and Feminist Studies). The symposium has also led to the creation of 3 transnational research networks: the Asia-Pacific Gender and Climate Network (established 2015, now with 14 member countries), the Digital Gender-Based Violence Research Alliance (established 2018, with members including UN Women), and the Indigenous Gender Knowledge Database (launched 2021, holding 2,300 records). On attendee feedback, the post-conference survey for 2023 showed that 89% of attendees were “very satisfied” and 92% said they “would recommend it to colleagues”.

Representative Publication Cases

At the 2022 symposium, ANU PhD student Emma Liu presented a paper titled “Gendered Algorithmic Discrimination in Digital Platforms”, which was accepted by New Media & Society (impact factor 5.4) and published online in December 2023. The paper drew on interdisciplinary feedback from the symposium’s workshops, combining sociology and computer science methods. In 2021, Dr. Sarah Chen, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne, presented a policy brief at the symposium titled “Implementing Gender-Responsive Budgeting in Australian Local Governments”, which was adopted by the Australian Commonwealth Treasury for use in preparing the 2023-24 budget. These cases show that the symposium’s policy translation function now extends beyond purely academic circles.

Impact on Graduate Career Development

A 2023 tracking study by the ANU Gender Institute of graduate students who attended the symposium between 2011 and 2022 shows that attending has a significant positive effect on career development. Of the 186 graduate students surveyed, 73% said the symposium helped them secure publication opportunities, and 58% said they built collaborative networks through the symposium that led to postdoctoral positions or faculty roles. Specific figures: graduate attendees published an average of 2.1 papers within 3 years of the symposium, compared with 1.3 papers for non-attendees (ANU internal database, 2023). The symposium also awards a “Best Student Paper Prize” (AUD 500); in 2023, 12 students were shortlisted, and the prize ultimately went to Zara Williams, a PhD student in the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology.

FAQ

Q1: As an international student, do I need a visa to attend the ANU Gender Studies Research Symposium?

Yes. Under the Australian Department of Home Affairs’ 2024 rules, attendees holding Chinese passports must apply for a Visitor Visa (Subclass 600), with a processing time of 15-30 business days. It is recommended to submit the visa application before the early-bird registration deadline of 31 July 2024 to ensure the visa is granted before 12 September. In 2023, 3 international attendees could not make it in person due to visa delays, but participated online instead. The ANU International Student Office can provide an invitation letter; requests are made by email after registration.

Q2: If my abstract is rejected, can I appeal or resubmit?

You can appeal, but with strict limits. Under the 2024 submission guidelines, rejected authors may submit a written appeal by 5 August 2024 (within 5 business days of the notification), stating specific errors in the review process (such as factual errors or conflicts of interest). Appeals are reviewed solely by the Chair of the ANU Gender Institute’s academic committee, and the final decision is not subject to further appeal. In 2023, 8 appeals were received, of which 2 were accepted (the authors were re-added to the waitlist and ultimately received places). Note that the same abstract cannot be resubmitted to the following year’s symposium (it must be substantially revised, with changes exceeding 50%).

Q3: What materials do I need to read before attending the symposium?

There is no mandatory reading, but it is advisable to familiarise yourself with the keynote speakers’ research backgrounds in advance. The major works of 2024 keynote speakers Sally Engle Merry and C. Riley Snorton are freely available through ANU Library electronic resources (ANU account required). In addition, each workshop will send registered attendees a pre-circulation pack 2 weeks in advance (29 August 2024), containing 2-3 papers or chapters totalling roughly 50-80 pages of reading. A 2023 survey showed that attendees who read the materials in advance rated workshop satisfaction (4.6/5) significantly higher than those who did not (3.2/5).

References

Australian Research Council (ARC) 2023, Gender Research Funding Report
ANU Gender Institute 2023, Annual Report and Impact Assessment
ANU Gender Institute 2024, Symposium Submission Guidelines and Review Criteria
Australian Department of Home Affairs 2024, Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) Processing Time Statistics
UNILINK Education 2024, Guide to Attending Academic Conferences at Australian Universities