Call For Proposals – 2019 Annual Conference

Eccentric Circles
University of British Columbia
Vancouver | June 2-4, 2019

Keynote:
Jamie Lee Hamilton

The Sexuality Studies Association welcomes proposals for our annual meeting; to be held June 2-4, 2019 at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), in conjunction with the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities. We invite proposals for work in English or French from any disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary approach. Presentations can be in a variety of formats, including papers, panels, workshops, roundtables, film and video screenings, performance art pieces, exhibits, and cultural events.

Proposals must be submitted through our online form in English or French.

All presenters must pay 2019 membership dues to the association, as well as Congress and Conference Registration fees. To become a member of the SSA please register through our website here.

The deadline for submission is January 7, 2019.

Sexuality Studies encompasses at least the following:

• Intersectional interpretations of sexuality
• Erotic rights to sexual health and education
• Challenges to the heteropatriarchal state
• Two-spirit and Indigequeer* critiques
• Queer inter/trans disciplinary pedagogies
• Activist and artivist resistances, aesthetics and cultural production
• Archives, ephemera, epistemologies, futures, optimisms
• Sexual media and technology

*with acknowledgement to Thirza Cutland

This year, Congress has chosen the theme, Circles of Conversation, envisioning “deep, two-way relationships between the university and the communities it serves… that will showcase creative critical engagements.” The Sexuality Studies Association invites its members to think beyond this binary and imagine eccentric circles, abandoning the quest for a common centre in favour of intersections and juxtapositions across myriad arcs that invite contact without knowing fully the repercussions. We argue that eccentricity, rather than commonality, encourages impactful exchanges and disruptive conversations that lead to creative and erotic engagements with knowledge. Eccentric circles take us on paths that are pleasurable, dangerous and, ultimately, transformative. It provokes reflexive questions such as:

• How can sex and sexuality inform the way we approach scholarship as an embodied, pleasurable practice?
• How do sexuality scholars transgress binary logics of identity, knowledge and culture?
• What are the ethical implications of doing scholarship with, about, and for sexually marginalized communities?
• What sorts of innovative theoretical and methodological opportunities erupt when disciplinary traditions traverse each other?

We encourage proposals that define and expand upon both the themes “Circles of Conversation” and “Eccentric Circles.” Submissions are welcome for individual presentations (max. 2 presenters, 20 minutes), panel sessions (max. 4 presenters, 75-90 minutes), workshops (3-5 presenters, 75-90 minutes), roundtables (3-5 presenters, 75-90 minutes), film or video screenings (either 15 minutes or 75 minutes), and artistic performances (either 15 minutes or 75 minutes).

In particular, we invite indigenous perspectives on sexuality from international contexts, so that we may create eccentric circles across global communities and histories.

The Sexuality Studies Association (SSA) is a scholarly association for scholars, artists, activists, and all community members who have an interest in the teaching and study of sex, sexuality, and gender diversity. The SSA provides opportunities to connect the broader research, artistic, and activist communities, and to mentor and support each other in our work.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Program Officer, Dr. Carol Dauda at cdauda@uoguelph.ca.

SSA website:
www.ssaaes.org

SSA membership form:
https://goo.gl/forms/UUNiBJV0WInCISYs2

SSA submission form:
English | French

PDF of CFP available here.