Mainstreaming Queerness: The New Queer Vanguard – Online Conference
Conference details
Keynotes:
– Jack Halberstam (https://english.columbia.edu/content/jack-halberstam)
– Heather Love (https://www.english.upenn.edu/people/heather-k-love)
This conference will focus on interrogating the ways in which ‘queer’ is currently being used. As an academic tool, ‘queer’ has traditionally defied definition, acting as a mechanism through which one can disrupt established norms and question conventional understandings that surround us. We see this as crucial for establishing a forum in which individuals can explore queer themes in a rigorous and supportive way. Queer in public spheres has become an identity label as well as being co-opted into institutional spaces to work more as ‘equality and diversity’ and less as a tool for political/social disruption. Our speakers will talk about how ‘queer’ currently operates and will examine this further in academic and public spheres.
We asked for papers on the following themes:
– The role of history in shaping our contemporary and future understandings of queer
– Ways of using queer that de-centre Western narratives
– The co-option of queerness by institutions and states
– Organising under queer as a term that defies definition
– The future of queer activism in the time of neoliberalism and hyper-capitalism
– Rejecting (homo)normativity: new ways of understanding queer
– The exclusivity of queerness in a more connected society
– The future of queer
Conference FAQ
Where are you in your current timeline?
– The programme is in the process of being discussed and will be announced April/May time.
How much do the tickets cost?
– The tickets will be free but we will ask for a small donation if you are able to contribute. The donations will be used to help us keep our events freely accessible. This donation pot will be opening in the near future.
Where will this conference take place?
– The conference will be accessible online via Zoom.