‘Surveilling Bodies and Minds: Sexualities, Medicine and the Law in Australasian Contexts’

This CFP invites scholars, community and industry members, postgraduates and undergraduates, to participate in a funded project hosted by the Faculty of Education and Arts, The University of Newcastle.

‘Surveilling Bodies and Minds: Sexualities, Medicine and the Law in Australasian Contexts’ is a 2-day conference on 12-13 September 2018.

‘Surveilling Bodies and Minds: Sexualities, Medicine and the Law in Australasian Contexts’ endeavours to provide a historical context (1950-present) for the current Australasian events surrounding, and responding to, the surveillance of sexualities, particularly gay and lesbian sexualities.

The recent shifts in power dynamics pertaining to sexualities, the body, medicalization, and the law – represented most profoundly by the marriage equality debate – demonstrate the need for a series of historical enquiries into these key social issues.

This call for papers invites proposals of 300 words by 1 May, on the following topics:

· The Marriage Equality Debate in Australia (vote, results, bill)

· Legal issues and sexual surveillance

· Medicalization and sexual surveillance

· Sexualities in Australasia 1950-present

· Sexualities and activism

· Communities and groups – initiatives, support, activism

This is an interdisciplinary conference, and we welcome proposals from all academic disciplines.

This is also a community-based conference, as we welcome proposals from groups and organisations.