Going beyond sexuality and gender
What do Irishmen, neuroscience, parental advocacy and masculinity have in common? They all, somehow, intersect with sexuality and gender.
On October 18, Let’s Talk About Sex, the 2017-2018 season debut of the Beyond Disciplines public lecture series, will convene Concordia researchers and professors to talk about gender and sexuality from an interdisciplinary point of view. Organized by the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), this signature event series is commencing its third year of riveting cross-discipline exploration.
“The series has grown significantly over the last two years, and it is a project which really showcases the wide range of experts in our faculty,” says André Roy, dean of FAS.
Kimberley Manning, principal of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, affirms that the study of gender and sexuality is inherently interdisciplinary and includes a lot of sharing.
“I think Beyond Disciplines works as a great example of how those of us who are situated in different disciplines can come into conversation with one another,” says Manning, who is currently researching parental advocacy of transgender youth. “There is a lot of borrowing, a lot of intersection across disciplines.”
“Concordia is known for pushing boundaries of both scholarship and social debate, and a night like this one is no different,” says Jane G. V. McGaughey, associate professor at the School of Irish Studies. Her research looks at the gendered and sexualised images of Irishmen, drawing upon several disciplines including sociology, anthropology, religious studies, film studies and performance studies.
“Having an open forum for ideas and discussion is pivotal in making both students and ourselves aware of how our individual research interests are part of an important wider conversation,” she says.
Marc Lafrance, associate professor in Anthropology and Sociology, will address the new emerging field of critical heterosexual studies and how male heterosexuality is changing.
“There is an interest and appetite for discussions of this sort, and I think it is important that as scholars we create forums in which people can discuss these matters,” says Lafrance.
“I’m very proud to work at a university that is a cut above many others when it comes to sexual politics.”
Other speakers will include Gonzalo Quintana Zunino, from the department of Psychology and the Centre for Behavioural Neurobiology, and Gregorio Pablo Rodríguez-Arbolay Jr, from the Faculty of Fine Arts’ Art History department.
Dean Roy is optimistic the event will provoke provocative discussion, and set the tone for a sensational Season 3.
“We plan to keep thinking outside the box. Every year we try to set the bar higher, and this year will be no exception!”
Call to action:
The October 18 event takes place from 6 – 7:30 pm at the MB building, on the 9th floor, in room CD. Reception to follow.
Free and open to the public. Registration required.
To register for the talk, click here.
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