RATIONALE
All recent research on gender demonstrates that patriarchy is alive and well and that both men and women suffer from patriarchal perceptions of expected roles. For example, women still face difficulties and inequality of opportunities for jobs, and when equality is achieved and they enter a certain industry; they face difficulties in being promoted to managerial positions (glass ceiling). On the other hand, men face difficulties in embracing roles traditionally seen as feminine such as staying at home with children or applying for paternal leaves, which are still approved more to women than men.
When it comes to gender perceptions the situation becomes even more complicated because if one refuses to identify with the sex assigned at birth and chooses to express gender differently, patriarchy kicks in even stronger and these individuals face not just discrimination in access to employment but also public mocking and in some countries even assaults. It is stating the obvious to say that many countries in the world still ban homosexuality and that LGBT individuals and couples are not just discriminated but also targets of public campaigns to ban them ever having the same rights as heterosexual couples such as marriage and adopting children (before they even asked for these rights), assaults, threats and intimidation, etc.
The question we can ask is how far have we got in achieving not just gender equality (for the vast amount of research testifies we have indeed not got far albeit lots of progress has been made), but how far have we got in achieving an understanding of gender? What kind of culture needs to be created to embrace diversity beyond positive laws (that exist only in some countries), but a true diversity where nobody will think they should have the right to question someone’s self-perception and self-expression, and a culture where all genders will be equal?
This conference, therefore, invites papers in the following (but not limited to) themes,
Definitions of gender
Positive practices of gender equality legislation
Positive practices of cultural and social understandings of genders
Discriminatory practices
Feminist studies
Women’s studies
Masculinity studies
LGBT rights
Women, LGBT identities and patriarchal society
Men, LGBT identities and patriarchal society
Transgender identities
Discrimination against LGBT and transgender people
Gender and Culture
Gender activism: case studies
Personal stories and biographies
Submissions of abstracts (up to 500 words) with an email contact should be sent to Dr Martina Topić (martinahr@gmail.com) by 15 October 2019. Decisions will be sent by 1 November 2019 and registrations are due by 15 December 2019. In case we collect enough abstracts earlier, we will send decisions earlier.
The Conference fee is GBP180, and it includes,
The registration fee
Conference bag and folder with materials
Access to the newsletter, and electronic editions of the Centre
Opportunity for participating in future activities of the Centre (research & co-editing volumes)
Meals and drinks
WLAN during the conference
Certificate of attendance
Centre for Research in Humanities and Social Sciences is a private organisation originally founded in December 2013 in Croatia (EU). Since July 2016 the Centre is registered in Leeds, UK.
Participants are responsible for finding funding to cover transportation and accommodation costs during the whole period of the conference. This applies to both presenting and non-presenting participants. The Centre will not discriminate based on the origin and/or methodological/paradigmatic approach of prospective conference participants.
Visa Information:
The Centre will issue a Visa letter to participants with UK entry clearance requirement. The British Home Office has a very straightforward procedure, which is not excessively lengthy and the Centre will also issue early decisions to participants with Visa requirements.
Dr Martina Topic