In November 2026, The Association for Women and Feminist Philosophers in Finland (NFY) is organising a conference titled Feminist Perspectives on the Edges and In-Betweens of Philosophy. The conference is organised in collaboration with the Philosophical Society of Finland (SFY) and the philosophical journal niin & näin, and takes place at the House of Science and Letters (Tieteiden talo) in Helsinki. Through the open call, NFY welcomes proposals for presentations and performances to include in the conference programme.
The call is open from 16 March to 22 May 2026 at 23:59. Details for applying below.
CONFERENCE THEME
The Finnish Association of Women and Feminist Philosophers hosts the Feminist Perspectives on the Edges and In-Betweens of Philosophy conference on November 12th to 13th, 2026 at the House of Science and Letters in Helsinki. The conference focuses on the diversity of voices within the Finnish philosophical field, and the challenges and opportunities connected to it. Different perspectives are not always recognized as a resource; instead, gaps often exist between different philosophical traditions and practices. This also applies to feminist philosophy: for example, academic and non-academic feminist thought are sometimes practiced quite separately. Yet interdisciplinary collaboration is possible and does occur—one historical example of feminist collaboration is Kristiina-instituutti, an institute which operated at the University of Helsinki in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The aim of the conference is to highlight questions related to the plurality of philosophy and its practices, and to discuss them from feminist perspectives. At the same time, the conference seeks to bring together feminist philosophers from across Finland, to provide a rich overview of Finnish feminist philosophy in the 2020s, and to promote collaboration and equality among feminist-philosophical practitioners within the field of philosophy.
The conference’s primary language is Finnish, but presentations and performances in English are also welcome. Important announcements regarding the conference will be published in both Finnish and English.
The conference spans two days.
Day 1 focuses on feminism in academic philosophy. Central themes include feminist collaboration within universities and the gaps between different traditions and practices in academic philosophy, as well as the relationship between academic feminist philosophy and non-academic feminist philosophy.
Day 2 focuses on feminist philosophy outside the university: What opportunities and challenges does feminist-philosophical thinking face, for example, in the Finnish cultural field, in the arts, or in civil society? What kinds of philosophy are practiced in Finland outside or at the margins of academia?
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS AND PERFORMANCES
NFY invites proposals in Finnish and English for presentations and performances related to the conference theme. In addition to traditional academic presentations, we welcome performances that use artistic or interdisciplinary methods to ask – or show – what philosophical thinking can be. For such performances, we expect the presenter or performer to reserve about 10 minutes after the performance for interaction with the audience (e.g., questions and discussion).
Presentations and performances exploring the relationships between philosophy and art, or between philosophy and other disciplines, are also very welcome.
We also encourage proposals from those working outside the university, who engage with feminist and philosophical questions in their profession or, for example, in volunteer activity, artistic projects, activism, associations, or civic organizations.
The duration of each presentation or performance is 30 minutes (including audience questions; e.g., a 20-minute presentation + 10 minutes for Q&A).
Examples of questions and topics the presentation/performance might explore:
- What kinds of equality issues exist within the Finnish philosophical field? What kinds of resources or challenges emerge when philosophy is practiced from a marginalized position?
- What kind of philosophy is excluded from academic philosophy? What causes such exclusion?
- Can philosophy be done through artistic means? How can art be used in philosophical research? In what genres of writing can philosophy be practiced?
- What does feminist philosophy mean in the era of intersectional feminism?
- A presentation can also address a current feminist-philosophical topic, such as: transmisogyny, decolonization in philosophy and decolonial philosophy, anti-racism in philosophy, philosophical thinking in online communities, feminist-philosophical conceptual work in social contexts or equality work, and so on.
All proposals will undergo an anonymous review process.
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSALS
Send an abstract of your presentation/performance by 22 May 2026 at 23:59 to: nfykonferenssi2026@gmail.com
Use the email subject line: “Proposal for NFY’s 2026 conference”. Attach the abstract as a separate PDF file.
In the body of the email, include your full name and email address. Mention any professional title or affiliation that is relevant to your expertise.
Include the following in the attached PDF:
- The title of your presentation/performance
- Indicate whether your proposal is:
- A) a traditional academic presentation
- B) an artistic performance
- C) something else – what?
- Indicate whether you will need the conference room’s technical equipment (e.g., projector or audio devices)
- In about 250 words, describe the topic of your presentation or performance, your philosophical approach or theoretical framework, and explain why your contribution fits the conference theme.
- If proposing an artistic performance, consider the conference room’s constraints (Lisa Hagman -juhlasali, https://tilavaraus.tieteidentalo.fi/rooms). For more information on this in English, please contact the organizers. The chairs in the conference room cannot be reorganised due to scheduling.
- The review process is anonymous. Do not include your name in the PDF or its filename.
NFY is happy to answer questions related to the application process or the conference. You can reach us at: nfykonferenssi2026@gmail.com
Information about accepted proposals will be announced at the beginning of June 2026.
EVENT INFORMATION
The two-day conference will be held in the Lisa Hagman Hall at the House of Science and Letters in Helsinki. The venue is mostly accessible. A detailed accessibility guide is provided in June. More information: Kävijälle | Tieteiden talo or contact us.
The event is free of charge for both presenters and attendees. The event will be mostly held in Finnish. Unfortunately, remote participation is not possible.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Docent and Senior University Researcher Erika Ruonakoski (University of Helsinki)
- Crip artist and facilitator Isa Hukka
- Docent, University Lecturer, and president of the Philosophical Society of Finland Kristina Rolin (Tampere University)
Confirmed panelists include:
- Academy Research Fellow Sanna Tirkkonen (University of Helsinki)
- Docent Sanna Karhu (University of Helsinki)
- Essayist and Doctoral Researcher Aurora Ala-Hakula (University of Turku)
- Executive Director of Tutkijaliitto and translator Anna Nurminen
- Chair of the Fem-R Association Mia Aintila
NFY is unfortunately unable to pay speaker fees. Travel costs for presenters coming from outside Helsinki will be covered when possible.
The organisation of the conference is funded by the Kone Foundation.
NFY 