'Discourses of Sexuality' 13/5 BIGS Seminar Series

Birkbeck Institute for Gender and Sexuality (BIGS) is pleased to present the second in a series of seminars designed to provide a forum for postgraduate students working on issues relating to gender and sexuality to present their ideas to one another in a relaxed and supportive environment.

'Discourses of Sexuality'

Elisabetta Bertolino [Birkbeck College]:
The Ambivalence of Wounds

Shauna Guinn [Birkbeck College]:
Childhood Sexuality: A Queer Issue?

Leon Rocha [University of Cambridge]:
Xing is sex and human nature: The Discourse of Sex in China in 1920s

Tuesday, 13th May 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Room 204,
Clore Management Centre,
Birkbeck College,
Torrington Square

BIGS will hold a postgraduate seminar every two months and we are currently seeking contributions from presenters for the next session. If you are interested in presenting please submit the title of your paper along with a brief abstract (100 words max) to bigs.postgrads@googlemail.com. Submissions relating to issues of gender and sexuality from a broad range of disciplines are welcomed, as are works in progress and 'alternative' style presentations.

Transgender Narratives: Reading Group 29/4

This week's reading group will be about the issue of transgender narratives (please bring any extra material that you find interesting). Please note there is a change of venue to the previous meeting - we will now meet in Room 303, 43 Gordon Square. 7-9pm on Tuesday 29th April.

The discussion will start from Richard Beard's article in The Guardian about how his friend's sex change tested their friendship. http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/relationships/story/0,,2275803,00.html

Some areas to think about:
- What is the relationship between gender and sexuality?
- What is the meaning of transgender?
- Are male to female and female to male transgender debates distinct?
- Is transgender different from queer? If so, how?

Some other interesting material to look at includes:

- http://www.lorencameron.com
- http://www.dellagracevolcano.com/index.html
- http://cydathria.com/ms_donna/ga_test.html --> This is Kate Bornstein's Gender Aptitude test, which is taken from her book 'My Gender Workbook'
- Halberstam's In a Queer Time and Place
- Second Skins by Jay Prosser

Where? Room 303, Birkbeck College, 43 Gordon Square
When? Tuesday 29th April, 7-9pm

Apologies for the late notice of this week's reading group.

Call for Papers for Postgrad seminar series

After the success of our 1st seminar in March, we are hosting a 2nd one on Tuesday May 13th. 6:30pm - 9pm. We are currently seeking contributions from presenters for this date.

If you are interested in presenting a 15-20 minute paper (please allow for a similar length of time in questions) please submit the title of your paper along with a brief abstract (c.100 words) to bigs.postgrads@googlemail.com by 21st April.

Submissions relating to issues of gender and sexuality from a broad range of disciplines are welcomed, as are works in progress and 'alternative' style presentations.

When? Tuesday May 13th 6:30-9pm
Where? Room 204, Clore Management Centre, Torrington Square

Please forward this information to anyone else you know who might be interested.