Harvard Business School’s 7th annual Gender & Work Research Symposium will be held on the HBS campus on April 4-5, 2019. Our theme, The Courage of our Convictions, is inspired by the way resistance movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have prompted a widespread examination of power relationships in new, or newly urgent, ways. As we applaud the courage many have found to speak and act on their convictions, we also observe instances of backlash and critique. It is this conflict that we aim to unpack, examining the beliefs and actions that define, unite, and separate us so that we might more effectively engage the project of advancing structural equality in the workplace and beyond.

Nietzsche once warned that “convictions [can be] more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.” This year’s conference engages inherent contradictions and complications about who gets to speak, about what, to whom, and with what consequences. The current political climate demands that we consider the relationship between position-taking and identity, the costs and benefits of difficult conversations, and changing notions about the role of researchers in contemporary social, political, and ethical debates. With you, we hope to foster a wide-ranging, sophisticated, and indeed courageous conversation.

Throughout both days, we will strive to create opportunities for attendees to make meaningful connections, with the aim of generating new collaborations and initiating mutually beneficial projects. The conference will include themed panels that highlight important research insights, as well as shorter “flash talks” that feature new findings, ideas, and insights.