The Power of the Creative Feminine to Re-Shape the World
An Arts-based Research Conference
This hybrid event, held both on campus and online, will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and performances that illuminate the many faces of the creative feminine—from ancient goddesses to contemporary changemakers.
In an era marked by the resurgence of authoritarianism, the creative feminine emerges as a force of transformation, resistance, and renewal. Goddess-Makers in an Age of Autocrats explores the depth psychological dimensions of the archetypal feminine—its capacity to shape culture, inspire justice, and reimagine collective futures in the face of oppressive systems.
History offers us a powerful example of this transformative potential in the figure of Enheduanna, the first known author of the written word. A high priestess and poet of ancient Sumer, Enheduanna used her storytelling genius to craft a vision of the goddess Inanna, the fierce and radiant deity of love, war, and justice. Through her hymns, she wove a narrative that not only deified Inanna but also unified two warring kingdoms under a shared mythic and spiritual identity. In doing so, Enheduanna demonstrated the profound ability of the creative feminine to shape consciousness, reconcile opposites, and forge new worlds.
Hosted by Pacifica Extension, this conference invites scholars, artists, activists, and visionaries to engage in a rich dialogue on how the feminine, in its many mythic and embodied forms, catalyzes personal and collective transformation. Drawing upon Jungian and archetypal psychology, feminist theory, mythology, and the arts, we will explore how figures like Enheduanna—and the goddesses, muses, and creators who followed—continue to inspire movements for justice, healing, and rebalancing power.
This hybrid event, held both on campus and online, will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and performances that illuminate the many faces of the creative feminine—from ancient goddesses to contemporary changemakers. Like Enheduanna, we will explore how storytelling, myth, and the imagination can serve as tools for resistance and renewal in the face of oppressive systems.
Join us this August to reclaim the radical, world-making power of the feminine and cultivate pathways for deep, lasting change.