1st Non-Monogamies and Contemporary Intimacies Conference (Sept. 25th–27th, ’15) Activist / Artistic / Performance Call for Contributions – Deadline 18th May 2015 For many people, in many places, and due to many reasons, monogamy is not working anymore. And yet, deviations from monogamy have generally only been portrayed in negative ways such as “infidelity”, “serial monogamy”, or “failures” of the “normal” pattern of intimacy. Such perspectives assign a privileged role to the idealized couple, portrayed as intrinsically better. Activists and artists, as well as plenty of other kinds of people, are experimenting with their intimate relationships, exploring alternatives, living through painful and joyful experimentations around sexuality, love and embodied experiences. But who are “we”? Who are these people that, through their daily practices, through their artistic work, through their writing, challenge mononormativity and traditional coupledom? The rise in critical discourses regarding normative sexualities and intimacies (and the ways in which these two elements interact) calls into question the traditional paradigm of lifestyles that have been at the core of the sex-gender system as well as hetero-mono-normative institutions and practices more generally. Recent depictions in film (e.g.“Brokeback Mountain” and “The Dallas Buyers Club” or Pedro Almodovar’s and Wong Kar Wai’s movies) becoming widely seen in mainstream cinemas point towards this trend. Political, cultural and socioeconomic transformations have given birth to new challenges and opportunities for activism to permeate traditional hegemonic institutions of power. Visibility in mainstream media has grown in recent years. Alongside it, a bias that tends to focus overly on “sex” (sexy bias), rather than on other aspects of (consensual) non-monogamies. Asexual and aromantic relationships have barely gained any visibility, as the tendency towards sex seems to be the main bias in media presentations (e.g. newspapers, mainstream portrayals on TV). Topics: With this conference, we intend to bring together research, activism and other forms of social expression (e.g. art, videos, installations, theater, discussions …), focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics:
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Presentations of (consensual) non-monogamies, asexuality, a-romance in mainstream media; Sexy bias in presentations of consensual non-monogamies in mainstream media; Movies concerning the topic of consensual non-monogamies, and other forms of relationships like a-romantic and asexual partnerships; Movies/books with BDSM as topic (mainstream and alternative) – also concerning the rise and visibility due to the “50 shades of Grey” effect – books and film; Special film festivals, who recognize positive depiction of sexuality and kink in film and television; News media depictions of non-monogamies and contemporary intimacies, as well as experiences of managing contacts with the media; Self-help groups concerning asexuality and aromanticism; Photography and photographic art with non-monogamies and alternative contemporary intimacies as their main focus; Art and art installations as activist and social expression for alternative lifestyles; Experimentations with permaculture, anarchist governance, communitybuilding and non-monogamies; Experimentations around building new tools for communication, as well as new ethical principles for interpersonal communication; Integration of feminism into contemporary intimacies, and its expression through art and activism; Integration of queer theories and queer cultures into philosophies of contemporary intimacies, and expression through art, activities (e.g. Burningman, Boom-Festival and other expressions) and activism
We aim to have a diverse conference, both in terms of participants and in terms of different modes of engagement with the production of knowledge and social action. Therefore, we encourage the submission of film screenings and debates, installations, activist-driven reflections and other modalities. Our goal is communitybuilding within and beyond academia in all its fields and disciplines, challenging traditional models of the hegemonic Global North system of knowledge production. Language & accessibility: For logistic reasons, the conference’s common language will be English, and abstracts must be submitted in English. If you wish so, you can also send us your abstract in another language, provided that you also submit it in English. It is highly recommended (but not mandatory) that presentations during the conference are in English. The venue is wheelchair-accessible. If you require a Sign Language interpreter, please contact us via email; unfortunately we cannot guarantee that this will be provided. There is more info on accessibility here. To submit: Abstracts of up to 250 words for individual submissions and up to 500 words for panel submissions, by May 18th, using this platform. Before submitting, please read the instructions HERE. Any doubts or technical difficulties should be addressed to the following email:
[email protected]
