Building Feminist Communities

A two-day event is being organized at Grenoble Alpes University—with support from CERAG, Sciences Po Grenoble, UGA-INP, and the journal Feminism and Organization —for doctoral students in business and management and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) whose research focuses on gender and intersectional feminist management and organizational studies. The event aims to foster academic community-building through creative, collective, feminist workshops, presentations, and sophrology sessions designed to explore and experiment with the political power of the body and its senses, which can support the research process in an increasingly demanding and competitive academic environment.  

Summary: 

The workshop will explore the resources feminist researchers can draw upon when conducting inherently political research—both literally and metaphorically.Movement, breath, and voice will be introduced as powerful tools for meeting and challenging the demands of academic rigor. The workshop will encourage PhD students and early-career researchers to participate in a transformative, embodied process that emphasizes collective empowerment and community-building. Each session will integrate body and mind,encouraging collaborative engagement with critical topics through shared discussion and debate. During this two-day event, we will explorethe corporeal aspects of politics in organizational and management studies. 

The workshop will be facilitated by a doctoral student who attended the previous edition (Estelle Bois Farinaud) and experienced scholars from international and local backgrounds. Confirmed speakers includeAlison Pullen (Macquarie University, Australia), Alexia Panayiotou (University of Cyprus),Sara Zaeemdar (University of Newcastle, UK),Emmanouela Mandalaki (NEOMA Business School, France),Hélène Picard, andClaire Le Breton (Grenoble Ecole de Management, France).

Estimated schedule (detailed version here)

Day 1 - December 9, 2026 (starting at 9:00 a.m.): Walking, moving, breathing  

• Registration and morning tea, welcome and introductions 
• 3-hour workshop– Corporeality, Place, and Ecofeminism 
• Group hike (or cable car ride for those who prefer or need it) up to La Bastille, a mountain overlooking Grenoble.Hiking or walking shoes and warm clothing are required.
• Lunch 
• 1.5-hour sophrology session – The Art of Breathing in a Demanding Academic Environment (led by a trained sophrologist)
• Station Wagon 
• 1-hour debriefing session – Feminist Methodologies and the Challenge to Disembodied Academia  
• Return to the city center by cable car 
• The dinner at a local restaurant will support the workshop as a whole and provide an important networking opportunity for the PhD students and early-career researchers. 

Day 2 - December 10, 2026 (starting at 9:00 a.m.) - Listening, reading, speaking  

• Tea/coffee  
• 1.5-hour workshop – Activism and feminist research: Why is conducting research inherently political? How can one position oneself in academia? 
• Station Wagon 
• 1.5-hour workshop – Who to Read? How to Read? 
• Lunch 
• 1.5-hour workshop - Speaking Out Loud: Researchers’ Voices (a creative session exploring voices)
• Station Wagon 
• 1-hour workshop – Keeping a feminist community alive 
• Close (ending around 5:30 p.m.) 

Please note that participants are responsible for making their own arrangements for lodging and transportation to and from Grenoble.The workshop is open only to PhD students in business and management and early-career researchers (including junior academics). Independent researchers (not employed by an institution) are also welcome to attend if their research is relevant to the topics explored at the workshop.

The registration fee is €50 per participant for the two-day workshop. The workshop dinner on Day 1 and lunches and refreshments on both days are included. Five bursaries are available to help cover participants’ travel and accommodation costs. Bursary recipients are not required to pay the registration fee. The bursaries are intended to promote inclusivity and to partially cover the travel costs of those who cannot secure the necessary funds from their own institutions. Applicants should explain their reasons for requesting a bursary on the registration form.

To express your interest, please fill out this short form and return it to us no later than November 1, 2026. If you are interested in applying for the scholarships, please clearly indicate this on the form and provide a brief explanation.

Please direct any questions to estelle.bois-fainauduniv-grenoble-alpes.fr (estelle[dot]bois-fainaud[at]univ-grenoble-alpes[dot]fr)

An event sponsored by the CERAG laboratory, Sciences Po Grenoble, UGA-INP, and the journal *Feminism and Organization*, in collaboration with Neoma Business School (France), Newcastle University Business School (UK), Macquarie Business School (Australia), and the Department of Business and Public Administration at the University of Cyprus (Cyprus).