In 2024 SLSA will convene in Chattanooga at a pivotal moment for Southern workers, a crossroads between rising reaction and potential for radical change. The combination of Chattanooga’s history as a strategic transportation junction and a locus of Southern labor resistance inspires our conference theme of “Crossroads of Resistance.”
At this site of convergence and departure, SLSA seeks explorations of geographical, generational, and organizational exchanges in the lives of Southern working people—past, present, and future. SLSA’s mission is to bring together a broad, diverse array of scholars, thinkers, organizers, and other activists working at the crossroads of academic disciplines and beyond the ivory tower, including dialogues among folks in the labor movement, community organizing, journalism, and the arts. We welcome scholars whose work engages many Souths– Black, white, people of color, Indigenous, Queer, and recent migrants.
Most conference activities will take place on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), located just blocks from the Tennessee Riverwalk, the Bluff View Art District, downtown restaurants, and historic MLK Blvd. The Guerry Center, home to UTC’s Honors College, will host breakout sessions, film screenings, and performances, and attendees will convene for a plenary and reception at the university’s newly renovated Fine Arts Center. Discounted hotel accommodations will be available at Chattanooga’s historic Read House, where we will gather for a buffet dinner and keynote address. Known as the Scenic City, Chattanooga offers conference attendees opportunities to hike, bike, kayak, and rock climb, as well as abundant restaurants, breweries, shops, and historic sites.