Call for Papers: EuroBiReCon Amsterdam July 2016

Bisexuality and (Inter)National Research Frontiers

First European Bisexual Research Conference (EuroBiReCon)EuroBiReCon is a conference for anyone with an interest in contributing to, or finding out about, current work on bisexuality. The conference aims to bring together academics, professionals, activists, and bisexual communities. It builds on BiReCons held in the UK every two years organised by BiUK (www.biuk.org) – see the BiUK website for information about past BiReCons. This year it will take place on Thursday 28 July 2016 at the University of Amsterdam, which will be followed by a three day community organised event (EuroBiCon).

We proudly announce that Prof. Surya Monro (University of Huddersfield) will be the keynote speaker at the EuroBiReCon. She has written multiple books on sexual diversity including Gender politics: Activism, citizenship and sexual diversity (2005) and Sexuality, Equality and Diversity (2012 with Diana Richardson). Her book Bisexuality: Identities, Politics, and Theories is due to be published in 2015.

We welcome papers from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines including social sciences, health sciences, arts and humanities, therapeutic practitioners, activists and others. We encourage contributions from postgraduate students, early career academics and more senior academics from Europe and beyond.

We invite papers and workshop sessions that include but are not limited to the following:

• Bisexuality, wellbeing and health (including mental health and sexual health).
• The implications of bisexual identities and labels.
• Bisexuality, space and communities.
• Bisexual people’s access to, and experiences of,health and other services.
• Inclusion and erasure of bisexual people in politics and activism.
• Representations of bisexuality in media, culture, and literature.
• Intersections with other aspects of experience such as physical disability, age, race/ethnicity, nationality, gender (both trans- and cis-gender), sexual practices, religion, education and social class.
• Bisexuality and relationship styles (e.g. monogamies, polyamory, swinging, open couples and non-monogamies).
• The role of technologies in bisexuality and forming bisexual spaces and communities
• Methods for researching bisexuality
• Public engagement in bisexuality research.

During the day there will be opportunities to:

• Find out about issues affecting bisexual people
• Hear from experts about cutting-edge research on bisexuality
• Discuss ways in which organisations can better work with, and for, bisexual people, drawing on good practice
• Take part in workshops on specific issues

If you would like to present at EuroBiReCon, please provide a 250 word abstract and a brief biography (max. 100 words), by 26^th February 2016 to Emiel Maliepaard (e.maliepaard1@gmail.com) and Dr Caroline Walters (carolinejwalters@gmail.com).

If you are interested in facilitating a workshop, roundtable, or panel discussion at BiReCon, which can include data gathering for current projects or research, then please email Emiel Maliepaard (e.maliepaard1@gmail.com) and Dr Caroline Walters (carolinejwalters@gmail.com) with a brief description of your proposed session by 22 January 2016.

Language: For logistical reasons, the conference’s common language will be English, and abstracts must be submitted in English. If you wish, you can send us your abstract in another language, provided that you also submit it in English. It is highly recommended that presentations during the conference are in English. However, we are exploring possibilities to use translators to provide space to people who would like to present in their mother tongue.

Funding: EuroBiCon and EuroBiReCon are community organisations so unfortunately there are no funds for presenters or travel expenses. However, EuroBiReCon will provide an excellent opportunity to network with others working in the field, to share good practice, and there will be spaces available to conduct research which fits within the ethos of the event.

Vote bi at the LGF Homo Heroes awards!

Each year the Lesbian and Gay Foundation runs their ‘Homo Heroes‘ awards to recognise and celebrate the heroes of the LGBTQ communities. This year there are bi-related nominations in four out of the seven categories: most appropriate given that the awards night is happening to day before Celebrate Bisexuality Day on September 23rd. Many of BiUK’s own heroes are included in the shortlists…

Natalya Dell has been shortlisted for volunteer of the year for her fantastic work organising BiCon 2011 and many previous bi events, as well as her major role in UK bi activism.

Marcus Morgan has been shortlisted for Role Model. Marcus set up bi visibility group The Bisexual Index and recently spoke for bi people on TV’s Vanessa show, as well as organising bi events and speaking for bi community for many years.

Jen Yockney has been shortlisted for Community Champion for all her wonderful work editing the longest running bisexual magazine, Bi Community News magazine, organising the long-running social & support group BiPhoria, and so much more.

Bi Community News magazine itself has been shortlisted in the community organisation category.

Do your bit towards bi visibility and vote today! Voting is open until September 7th.

BiUK will be there on the night and will report back here.

First Critical Sexology Up North Event on Celebrate Bisexuality Day!

Celebrate Bisexuality Day is 23rd September every year.

This year we will mark the day in Manchester with the first ever Critical Sexology Up North event, featuring two of the speakers from last year’s international BiReCon event: Christian Klesse and Anna Einarsdottir. To see short clips of them speaking go here.

 

Critical Sexology is a successful seminar series which has been running in London for nearly a decade. It is an interdisciplinary seminar series for psychologists, psychoanalysts, medical doctors, literary and cultural studies scholars, philosophers, artists, lawyers and historians with a critical interest in the construction and management of gender and sexuality in the medical, human sciences, discursive and cultural spheres. Established in 2002 by Iain Morland and Lih-Mei Liao, Critical Sexology has since held three seminars per year, with meetings taking place in London. The seminar is currently co-organised by Lisa Downing (University of Exeter), Meg Barker (Open University), and Robert Gillett (Queen Mary, University of London).

From 2011, one seminar out of the three we organise per year will be held at a university in a northern location. This first will be in Manchester in September:

23 September 2011, 2pm-6pm: Relationships

Venue: Manchester Metropolitan University, John Dalton building, room 0.05

Organised by Meg Barker in collaboration with Christian Klesse

Speakers:

Anna Einarsdottir and Brian Heaphy (University of Manchester) – Civil Partnerships

Christian Klesse (Manchester Metropolitan University) – Non-monogamous Relationships

Mark Carrigan (University of Warwick) – Asexual Relationships

Respondents: Eleanor Wilkinson (University of Leeds) and Hera Cook (University of Birmingham)

All details of the event are here, and a map to the venue can be found here, including a pdf of how to get to the venue.

BiCon this week

The annual UK bisexual conference, BiCon 2011, is happening from 1-4 September 2011. All details can be found on the BiCon website.

BiUK will be facilitating a workshop on all things research-related on the afternoon of Friday 2nd. Hope to see you there!