Troubled by the status quo? We call for a new status queer!

As significant cultural changes in social reality are reflected and reinforced by representations in popular culture (with the law arguably lagging behind), we seek to question the status quo and look for examples of the creation of the new “status queer.”

We also want to update our understanding of what “status queer” is here and now: in contemporary social context, including politics, academia or activism. How is “status queer” being performed, reproduced or challenged in Polish society? Who is involved in this process, and why? How is queerness interconnected with gender/race/citizenship/disability and class within social practices or institutions? How far does the new queer culture go in calling into question the old social and political order? Does it always subvert it, or can it be integrated into old structures of power?

The aim of the conference is to create an opportunity for MA and BA students at the American Studies Center and Institute of Applied Social Sciences to present their research projects and facilitate an exchange of inspiring ideas. In hopes of creating an interdisciplinary, bilingual platform to discuss topics and methods related to Poland and the United States, we invite 10-15 minute-long presentations on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

‣ representation of gender in pop culture
‣ transgender and non-binary identities
‣ political conflicts over sexual minorities
‣ hegemonic and subaltern masculinities
‣ intersections of race and gender/sexuality
‣ intersections of class and gender/sexuality
‣ intersections of dis/ability and gender/sexuality
‣ histories of gender and sexual identities in the US or Poland
‣ the importance of gender/sexuality in the media
‣ non-normative sexualities in culture and society
‣ political struggles over gender equality
‣ history of feminisms and feminist debates today
‣ new methodologies in queer and gender studies
‣ living contemporary feminist & queer lives
‣ doing LGBTQ+ and queer activism in the US or Poland
‣ queering social life and institutions: emancipatory ideas and practices
‣ resisting homo- and transphobia
‣ resisting patriarchy
‣ cruising queer utopias and feminist futures

If you have a final paper that you are particularly proud of or if you are working on a B.A. paper or M.A. thesis that reflects on these topics, feel free to apply to the conference. New research is also welcome. You may present your research in Polish or in English.

The conference will be held on 26-27 April, 2024 at the University of Warsaw. All presenters will be invited to a free lunch during the conference. Conference participation is free of charge. The ASC presenters will be granted a grade of 5 for OZN!

Application deadline: March 1, 2024.
Acceptance notification: March 15, 2024.

Apply through a Google Form you will find here.

Organizing Committee:
Kamila Bagińska, Anna Maria Grzybowska, Mikołaj Szczerba, Miranda Zarzycka, Ludmiła Janion, Anna Kurowicka, Łukasz Mikołajewski, Marta Rawłuszko

 The conference is funded by:

Organizers

Year 2023/2024

April 29: I Settle for Nothing but the Best: Biomedicalization in the Mass Effect Franchise

April 25, 2024

Weird Fictions Research Group cordially invites you to a lecture about biomedicalization in the Mass Effect franchise! In this lecture, we delve into the concept of biomedicalization within the sci-fi franchise, exploring how advancements in genetics, cybernetics, and artificial intelligence reshape the fate of humanity, at the cost of human privacy.

Year 2023/2024

April 26: Bad Gays and They/Them Armies: Homonationalism and its Backlash

April 16, 2024

We are pleased to invite you to a lecture by Ben Miller and Huw Lemmey, the hosts of Bad Gays, “a podcast about evil and complicated queers in history” and the authors of Bad Gays: A Homosexual History.

Year 2023/2024

April 26-27: Status Quo/Status Queer

April 16, 2024

The aim of the conference is to create an opportunity for MA and BA students at the American Studies Center and Institute of Applied Social Sciences to present their research projects and facilitate an exchange of inspiring ideas.

Year 2023/2024

April 16: Screening of Nostalgia and Elegy in the Streets by Jim Hubbard

April 16, 2024

Join us for a screening of films by Jim Hubbard, who has been making experimental films about lesbian and gay activism and community building since the mid-1970s. The screening will be followed by an audience Q&A with the filmmaker.

Year 2023/2024

15 Kwietnia: Monstrualna Kobieta kontra Patriarchat: Czy “horror ciąża” to nowy wyraz kobiecej siły?

April 15, 2024

Drogie Osoby Studenckie, serdecznie zapraszamy na kolejne wydarzenie Sekcji Studenckiej Pracowni Gender/Sexuality! Na najbliższym spotkaniu dowiemy się, czy dekonstrukcja patriarchalnych wyobrażeń na temat ciąży jest możliwa oraz jak współczesna kultura audiowizualna odbiera dwoistość tożsamości, jaką dotknięte są ciężarne.