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Our upcoming conference at Makerere November 17th- 18th 2026: (Re)imagining Gender in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Transformations in Higher Education

As digital technology continues to reshape every facet of our lives, it is critical to explore how these transformations intersect with gender dynamics—especially within higher education. The conference invites scholars, researchers, and practitioners from around the globe to engage in meaningful dialogue on how digitalization influences gender equity, inclusion, and social justice in academic contexts.

The GENDIG 2026 Conference will serve as a platform to critically examine both opportunities and challenges presented by digital technologies and artificial intelligence, focusing on their gendered impacts within universities and broader societies. The event also marks the conclusion of the five-year GENDIG collaboration among Makerere University, University of Dar es Salaam, and University of Agder, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).



Key Themes and Sub-Themes
Participants are invited to submit papers related to any of the following five thematic areas:

Sub Theme One: Gender, Digitalisation in Higher education Over the past decade, higher education has rapidly digitised, driven by online learning and expanding use of technology across teaching, research, and administration. While often framed as innovative and inclusive, the gendered implications of digital transformation remain underexplored, especially in African and Global South contexts. This sub-theme examines how digital tools, platforms, and artificial intelligence reshape access, participation, equity, and inclusion. It asks who benefits and who is left behind, and whether digital systems reinforce or challenge inequalities. Contributions are invited that critically engage digital change alongside gender justice, ethics, and institutional transformation to ensure inclusive and equitable outcomes.

Sub Theme Two: Inequality and Inclusion in Higher Education The commitment of inclusion is central to the SDGs, emphasising a focus on “leave no one behind”. Against this backdrop, how can we widen the participation of historically underrepresented students in the university? What measures can be taken to ensure equitable and inclusive practices within our academic institutions? Is digital technology a means to ensure wider participation or can it marginalize or exclude students? Which mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion are at work in higher education and how does gender, class, race, ability, socio-economic status and other intersecting categories affect inclusion and exclusion? In this sub theme we welcome papers that explore intersectionality, inclusion and exclusion of marginalised groups in higher education, including case studies and best practices.

Sub Theme Three: Gender, Digital Technology and Civil Society This sub theme focuses on implementation of a model where the University works with Civil society organisations to promote understanding of gender, while co-creating strategies that promote gender equality in society, as well as open opportunities for collaboration and mutual learning. Students’ internship is supported to enhance university engagement with civil society, as stakeholders, to enhance students’ knowledge transfer for increased work relevance and employability. In this sub theme, we welcome papers that explore the mutually beneficial and impactful collaborations between Universities and civil society organisations.

Sub Theme Four: Contemporary Issues in Gender Studies across Context This sub theme engages with the diverse and evolving realities that shape gender relations and identities in contemporary societies. Examination of cross-cutting issues such as gender inequality, gender-based violence, and the intersectional nature of power across sociocultural, political, and economic contexts offer comparative perspectives that highlight how gender is continually redefined with changing realities. Contributors are encouraged to explore how gender is experienced, negotiated, and contested amid changing global and local dynamics. This interdisciplinary sub theme seeks to deepen our understanding of current issues of gender in varied contexts.

Sub Theme Five: Gendered Impacts of Artificial Intelligence Technology Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming higher education, labour markets, governance, and everyday life. Yet AI systems are not neutral; they are shaped by social, cultural and political contexts that may reproduce or challenge existing gender inequalities. This sub-theme invites critical and interdisciplinary perspectives on the gendered implications of AI across different contexts. We welcome contributions that examine issues such as algorithmic bias, data representation, digital labour, surveillance, AI in teaching and learning, and unequal access to emerging technologies. How does AI influence inclusion and exclusion? Whose knowledge and values are embedded in AI systems? How can gender competence inform more ethical and socially responsible AI design and governance? In line with GENDIG’s intersectional and comparative approach, we encourage empirical and practice-oriented studies that explore how AI can either deepen inequalities or contribute to more gender-just and inclusive futures.


Why Participate?
The conference offers a unique opportunity to contribute original research, exchange ideas with leading experts, and influence policy and practice on gender and digitalization. Accepted papers will be considered for publication in the Makerere Gender and Development Journal, a peer-reviewed academic journal.

Submission Details
Abstract Deadline: April 30, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: May 12, 2026
Full Paper Submission: September 9, 2026
Submit abstracts (max 250 words) outlining your research question, methodology, key findings, and contribution to gender and digitalization scholarship in higher education.

Send submissions to:

ruth.nsibirano@mak.ac.ug
with copies to Mahai.lulu@udsm.ac.tz / lulusimon3@gmail.com and arnhild.leer-helgesen@uia.no
For more information and updates, please visit the official conference page:
https://igds.mak.ac.ug/events

Join us as we (re)imagine the future of gender, technology, and education in an increasingly digital world. Together, let’s explore innovative pathways toward more equitable and inclusive higher education systems.

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Leaving no one behind? GENDIG seminar on diversity and inclusion in higher education at UiA, October 15th 2024

Academic institutions often proclaim commitments to diversity and inclusion, yet everyday cultures and practices can continue to privilege able-bodied norms and perfectionism. The Sustainable Development Agenda’s promise to “leave no one behind” places disability rights and inclusion at the heart of institutional responsibility. The GENDIG seminar held on the 15th of October 2024 in Kristiansand, Norway and part of the Gender and Digitalization project explored how higher education can move from rhetoric to practice so that access, belonging, and meaningful participation are real for all students and staff.

Seminar focus and questions

The one-day event at Bølgen Bærekraftssenter in Kristiansand addressed questions such as:

  • How should we define and understand “disability” and “inclusion” within the academy?
  • What practical steps are institutions taking to foster inclusion for students and staff?
  • What are the main challenges and opportunities, including cultural and religious dimensions, intersectionality, and whether issues are framed as individual problems versus societal responsibilities?
  • How can digitalization be leveraged as a tool for inclusion?

Speakers and programme

Associate Professor Gagan Chhabra (University of Inland Norway) delivered the keynote, offering a critical examination of ableism in higher education. Examples of challenges and inclusive practices from GENDIG partner universities were presented by Dr Ruth Nsibirano (Makerere University), Dr Lulu Mahai (UDSM), and Magret Kristin Dyrholm (senior advisor, UiA). Celeste De la Huerta from the Strømme Foundation Together spoke about teacher training and inclusive education in Uganda. The day concluded with a panel discussion chaired by Associate Professor Hanne Haaland. The workshop was well attended, including students from the Bachelor programme in Global Development and the Master’s programme in Global Development, Crisis and Change.

Key themes and takeaways

  • Context matters: cross-institutional learning is vital, but strategies that work in one country or institution often require adaptation to local cultural, legal, and economic realities.
  • Digitalization is double-edged: well-designed digital tools can remove barriers, but technology can reproduce exclusion when accessibility is an afterthought.
  • Move from reactive to proactive design: institutions should shift from individual accommodations toward universal design across curricula, assessments, and physical and digital spaces.
  • Mainstream disability and inclusion: these topics should be embedded throughout curricula and institutional policies, not confined to isolated trainings.
  • Involve lived experience: students and staff with lived experience of disability must participate in policy-making and design decisions.
  • Monitor and resource inclusion: develop metrics, accountability structures, and dedicated resources so inclusion is tracked, reported, and supported.
  • Invest in support: accessible digital platforms must be paired with training and technical support for staff and students.

Conclusion

The seminar highlighted that achieving meaningful inclusion in higher education requires sustained institutional commitment, thoughtful adaptation to local contexts, and the involvement of those with lived experience. Digitalization offers significant promise, but only when accessibility and inclusion are central to design and implementation. The GENDIG seminar provided a practical forum for exchanging ideas and reinforced the need for proactive, well-resourced strategies to ensure no one is left behind. The topic is highly relevant and with a need for continued research and focus on good practice.