Sexualities & Gender

Sexualities & Gender

This research cluster brings together people interested and involved in research on sexuality and/or gender, primarily in the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences but including, also, interested people from other schools and departments. We come from a diverse range of disciplinary backgrounds and theoretical approaches and are working towards developing our inter-/cross-disciplinary understandings of gender, sexuality and the relationship between them.

We take sexuality as much more broadly understood than simply 'sex' or 'sexual relationships'. It is our premise that:

Sexuality is not the property of an individual and is not a hormonally or biologically given, inherent quality. Rather sexual cultures and sexual meanings are constructed through a range of discursive practices across social institutions. ... Thus, when we talk about 'sexuality' we are talking about a whole assemblage of heterogeneous practices, techniques, habits, dispositions, forms of training and so on that govern things like dating and codes of dress in particular situations. (Debbie Epstein, Sarah O'Flynn and David Telford, 2003, Silenced Sexualities in Schools and Universities. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books, page 3)

At one level, gender may seem much more susceptible to definition. It has, traditionally, been said that while sex is biological (one is male or female), gender is social and cultural. But recent theorists, following Judith Butler and including some of our members, see biological sex and gender as inextricably mixed and both, in some senses at least, culturally constructed and performative. Some, indeed, question the usefulness of 'gender' as a category. Nevertheless, we do talk about 'gender' and are interested in the difference that gender makes in a variety of sites from the workplace and school to popular culture and literary texts.

Research in the school on aspects of sexuality and gender has been funded by, amongst others, the:

ACCAC (the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales)
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
General Teaching Council (Wales)
Nuffield Foundation, the Home Office

Staff and graduate students in the School are involved in research and scholarship in the following areas:

University of Wales
Welsh Assembly
Welsh Office of Research and Development
Research within the cluster includes work on:
Childhood sexualities
Embodiment
Femininities and masculinities
Feminist theory
Mainstreaming gender and sexuality policies
Gender and education
Gender and identity
Gender and social policy
Gender, sexuality and work
Queer theory
Sexuality, crime and criminal justice
Sexuality and education
Sexuality and gender in popular culture
Sexuality, gender and race/ethnicity
Sexualities, gender and violence, discrimination and harassment
Sexual identities

We are interested in hearing from potential doctoral students with interests in these areas.

Activities

We meet once a month, from 12:45-2pm, on the third Wednesday of every month during term time, in room -1.79 Glamorgan Building. At these meetings we discuss our work-in-progress, readings, develop research projects and so on. The group is open to all staff and PG research students in the School of Social Sciences and to those in other Faculties and Schools who share our interests. However, as it is a working group, we would like members to make a commitment to coming on a fairly regular basis and to sharing their work. Contact Dr. Sara MacBride-Stewart Macbride-stewartS@cardiff.ac.uk or Sarah Hayes Hayessk@cf.ac.uk for further details or to be added onto the mailing list.

Gender and Sexualities Research Group Meetings 2011-2012

School of Social Sciences, Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University. Wednesdays 12.45-2pm, Room -1.79 Glamorgan Building (please feel welcome to bring your lunch)

Dates for this year’s seminars:

19/10/11 - Planning session

16/11/11 - TBC

21/12/11 - Social Event with Childhood Group

18/01/12 - Post Graduate Presentations (Cardiff University)

15/02/12 - TBC

21/03/12 - Anita Pilgrim & Sarah Oerton (University of Glamorgan)

18/04/12 - Sarah Abramson

16/05/12 - Matthew Jones (Cardiff University)

20/06/12 - Penny Miles