We chose to focus on the term “unsettle,” as it is understood in the works of settler-scholars Roger Epp and Paulette Regan who address Indigenous-settler relations in Canada. Epp and Regan challenge non-indigenous people, including scholars (which is the case for many SNS participants), to name and transform the settler-colonizing cultures, policies and legacies within their professional and personal practices. 

The four organizers — Orly Lael Netzer, Seraphima Kennedy, Maria Faini, and Emma Maguire — decided that “unsettle” would be a productive departure point for troubling notions of location and identity as well as expanding possibilities for building new professional and personal relations within the field of life writing. 

We have been inspired by our participants’ unique and generative approaches to the topic. Also, we are most grateful to the organizers of regional and global IABA conferences for accommodating our panels.