The Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Genders, and Sexualities (2017). «Difficult Conversations: Thinking and Talking About Women, Genders, and Sexualities Inside and Outside the Academy»

The Berkshire Conference on the History of Women (the Big Berks) was first held in 1973 at Douglass College, Rutgers University.  Intended to be a celebration of a new field of scholarship – women´s history – born out of the women´s movement, it has been held every three years since that time. In a collegial atmosphere that is more informal than that of most academic conferences, the Big Berks has always provided an opportunity to share research, experience, and insights as scholars and graduate students explored and expanded the boundaries of women´s, gender and sexuality history.  From its inception the conference was inclusive. It brought together historians and a range of people from within and beyond the academy to discuss scholarship which addresses history from ancient to contemporary and from East to West.  The conference has grown from a few hundred to more than 1500 participants sharing energy and dialogue in over 250 panels and other events.  This year, participants will come from over 35 different countries.