Academic Panels & Debates

Part of the Tribunal26 — Brussels & Antwerp, 25-28 March 2026

Overview

Reclaiming (Feminist) Justice: Bridging Research, Memory, and Activism

Reclaiming (Feminist) Justice is a collaborative academic initiative supported by the CIVIS European Civic University Alliance. It connects several universities, including the Free University of Brussels (ULB), the University of Lille, the University of Roma La Sapienza, and the University of Lausanne (UNIL), in a shared commitment to cross-disciplinary feminist scholarship.

The project acknowledges the crucial role of the feminist movements of the 1970s, whose struggles helped establish women’s and gender studies as legitimate fields of academic inquiry. Today, we continue in their path, linking the intellectual and the political, and ensuring that feminist research remains a tool for social transformation.

These academic pannels are part of a wider international project marking the 50th anniversary of the 1976 International Tribunal on Crimes against Women. Rooted in that founding moment, the initiative brings together academics, artists, and activists to build new bridges between research and practice, thought and action. It asks a central question: what can feminist justice look like half a century later?

The academic panels seek to build bridges between universities and feminist movements, connecting intellectual inquiry with lived experience. Milène Le Goff worked on the full project and the academic programme for the event in Belgium, alongside Daniela Susarenco and Justine Châtellard who are coordinating other international events, celebrating the Tribunal too, held in Rome (January, 16, 2026) and Lausanne (February, 27, 2026). Together, they form a shared commitment to making feminist knowledge accessible beyond academic boundaries: to think, learn, and resist, collectively.

Milène Le Goff, PhD candidate and feminist, is specialist of the history of the International Tribunal on Crimes against Women. In 2023, she organized the first European exhibition and a 3-days colloquium about the Tribunal. Deeply committed to facilitating the access of the history of the Tribunal to the public, she edited and translated the original testimonies given in Brussels in 1976. In 2026, for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Tribunal, she is publishing a new book (with the feminist publisher Hors d’Atteinte) that portrays 20 women from all over the world who came and share their stories.

If you have questions, contact Milène Le Goff at milene.le.goff@ulb.be.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMME

The academic program unfolds across two days of dialogue and reflection: March 25 in Brussels and March 27 in Antwerp, each designed to open different perspectives on feminist justice today.

In Brussels, the focus will be on revisiting the 1976 Tribunal itself: its political context, its transnational networks, and the ways it shaped feminist thought and activism across borders. The discussions will highlight how the event became both a product and a catalyst of global feminist movements in the 1970s.

Antwerp day will extend this reflection to the present. It will question how activism, art, and research intersect in a world where conservative and masculinist movements are resurging. Participants will explore how the legacy of feminist struggles continues to inform contemporary resistance. Both days will invite the public to engage in open discussion, bridging generations, disciplines, and perspectives.

DAY 1

Venue: Free University of Brussels, Brussels
Date and time: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Audience: Mixed public

Feminist Paradigms of Justice and Civic Engagement

Panel 1: “Naming, and Recognizing Violence: Feminist Strategies”

This panel addresses how feminist movements have historically unveiled and politicized gender-based violence that was long rendered invisible or considered “private.” It will explore the political and social power of naming violence (from domestic abuse to femicide) and how this act of recognition has reshaped public discourse, legal categories, and collective awareness. Drawing on the experience of activists and scholars, the discussion will highlight the strategic challenges of defining violence and the ongoing struggles to have new forms of violence acknowledged.

Panel 2 : “Feminist Civil Society as a Driver of Change”
This panel investigates the critical role of feminist civil society organizations in driving systemic change, from grassroots mobilizations to influencing European policy frameworks. It will reflect on how activism outside traditional institutional channels has generated new spaces for justice, broadened the understanding of human rights violations, and brought attention to gender-based violence at both national and transnational levels. Case studies of civic campaigns and advocacy strategies will be discussed, illustrating the enduring power of feminist movements to challenge political inertia and push for reform.

Panel 3: “Symbolic Justice and Political Resistance”

Focusing on the feminist use of symbolic tribunals, storytelling, and alternative spaces of justice, this panel will analyze how these practices have served both as acts of political denunciation and as tools for creating collective memory. It will explore the role of public testimony, symbolic verdicts, and narrative practices in confronting institutional silences and mobilizing communities. Participants will also discuss how symbolic justice initiatives continue to inform contemporary feminist strategies to address systemic impunity and envision transformative futures.

Afternoon Workshop: “Feminist Justice in Practice: Tools for Civil Action”

This hands-on workshop will offer participants a space to engage with feminist tools and strategies for civil action. Through case studies, interactive exercises, and collective reflection, participants will explore practical ways to apply feminist principles of justice in community activism, advocacy work, and alternative justice practices. The session aims to foster cross-generational dialogue and equip participants with tools to challenge systemic violence and promote transformative change.

Evening: Projection of Kita Bauchet documentary movie and drink

DAY 2

Venue: Arenberg Theatre, Antwerp
Date and time: Friday 27 March 2026
Audience: FLINTA* public

Commemorating and Reimagining the Tribunal (1976-2026)

Morning inaugural session: “Breaking Silence: Rediscovering the 1976 Women’s Tribunal and its Impact”

This panel will put in conversation a few women who came to Brussels in the original 1976 Tribunal. This structure allows for a thorough exploration of the Tribunal’s historical significance, complemented by personal testimonies from key participants. The goal is to create a space for meaningful dialogue between past and present, offering a rare opportunity to hear from those who lived through this pivotal moment in feminist history. The extended Q&A with the audience further strengthens this connection, ensuring the event remains intimate and engaging. By limiting the number of panels in the morning, we ensure that the commemorative focus on memory, justice, and collective storytelling is preserved without overwhelming the audience.

Panel 1: “From Personal Testimony to Political Action: the Legacy of Feminist Storytelling”

This panel explores how personal testimony and storytelling have been central to feminist political strategies, both historically and today. Beginning with the 1976 Tribunal, where hundreds of women broke the silence by sharing their experiences of violence, the panel will trace how personal narratives became tools for collective mobilization and societal change. Speakers will examine the therapeutic, symbolic, and political dimensions of testimony, and discuss how contemporary feminist movements continue to collect, valorize, and politicize women’s voices in the fight for justice.

Panel 2: “Living Archives: Memory, Media, and the Legacy of the Tribunal”

This discussion focuses on the role of archives, media storytelling, and documentary practices in preserving and transmitting the memory of feminist struggles. By revisiting the history of the 1976 Tribunal, the panel will analyze how feminist archival strategies and creative media have kept its political message alive across generations. It will also highlight the challenges of archiving feminist activism, the power dynamics inherent in memory production, and the innovative ways in which contemporary movements engage with feminist historical legacies to fuel current and future struggles.

Panel 3: “Feminist Futures: Social Justice, Technology, and Ecofeminism”

This panel focuses on the Tribunal as a pioneering moment of feminist civil society engagement, led by non-professional activists who gathered to expose systemic violence and reclaim justice on their own terms. The panel will explore how feminist thought and activism must evolve to address the emerging challenges of the 21st century. It will examine the intersections of gender, technology, and climate justice, focusing on how feminist ethics can guide responses to AI bias, digital surveillance, ecofeminist struggles, and the exploitation of bodies and resources. By connecting historical lessons from past feminist movements to contemporary urgencies, the discussion seeks to imagine new paradigms of care, accountability, and planetary justice.

Come discover the books written by our participants, as a book fair will be organised all day long on March 27 in Antwerp!