Brighton and Sussex Sexualities Network

One Day Conference Workshop on Sexualities in/of the Global South

Manchester, 25th August 2009

Organised by the Developing Areas Research Group (DARG) and the Space, Sexualities and Queer Working Group (SSQWG) of the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers, UK.

Critical comparative attention is increasingly being directed towards the constitution of heterogeneous sexualities, an important but poorly understood dimension of everyday geographies of the Global South. Diverse themes emerge from this work: from everyday intimacies to sexual health, from the assumed heteronormativity of development interventions to sexual identities, human rights and citizenship.

This day conference seeks to develop connections and links for those who seek to consider sexualities and the global South. It will be designed to be supportive rather than critical, developing links, thoughts and ideas across that which is often segregated, in this spirit emerging ideas and embryonic unformed ideas are welcome.

The one-day workshop on sexualities in/of the Global South precedes the annual Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers conference. The format for the day workshop will be decided when expressions of interest are received. We therefore invite expressions of interest from a range of disciplinary and sub-disciplinary approaches that explore any of the following themes:

• The global production of heterogeneous sexualities
• Sexualities and representation in the global South
• Identities and/or subject positions: sexualities as understood in and through multiple cultural logics (gender, race, religion, class, nationalism, postcoloniality, inter-generational)
• Sexualities, practices and behaviours
• Pleasure, erotics and desires
• Intimacies, emotions and relationships within and across scales: e.g. conjugality, home/families, through and within transnational networks, migration.
• Sexuality, religion and faith in the Global South: e.g. religion and sexual rights discourses, sexuality and spirituality, anti-gay fundamentalisms
• Sexualities and development: heteronormative development discourses and practices, development and institutions that regulate sexualities.
• Sexualities, health and disease
• Sexualities and sex work
• Sexualities and activisms
• Fieldwork and research relations: the eroticisation of the researcher/researched
• Sexualities and 'travelling' theories, concepts and categories.

Participants need not limit themselves to these themes; we welcome additional themes and encourage interventions on any topic related to sexualities and the global South.

Please send expressions of interest outlining your intervention to one of the convenors: Kath Browne (K.A.Browne@bton.ac.uk ), Gavin Brown (gpb10@leicester.ac.uk), Simon Hutta (j.s.hutta@open.ac.uk ) and Becky Elmhirst (R.J.Elmhirst@bton.ac.uk) by 27 February 2009

We would ask that full versions of your abstract or a summary of your intervention be sent by Friday 3rd April.

At the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers Annual Conference 26-28 August in Manchester there will be a panel that follows on from the one-day workshop on sexualities in/of the Global South. Participation in the panel is not limited to those attending the workshop, nor is participation in the workshop predicated on attending the panel. The format for the panel is built around short contributions from panellists to stimulate debate, followed by a gently facilitated group discussion with an emphasis on informal modes of participation.