Sexualities in and of the Global South

One Day Conference Workshop on Sexualities in/of the Global South
Manchester, 25th August 2009

Organised by the Developing Areas Research Group (DARG) and the Space, Sexualities and Queer Working Group (SSQWG) of the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers, UK.

Critical attention is increasingly being directed towards the heterogeneous constitution of sexualities in a global perspective, an engagement that can also shed new light on the social and cultural geographies of the Global South. We understand ‘Global South’ not as a given and fixed geographic region but rather as a term indicating spaces in a subaltern position (related in particular to capitalist and post/colonialist regimes of power) in relation to the Global North. Diverse themes emerge from the recent engagements with sexualities and the Global South: from everyday intimacies to economic relations and sexual health, from arguably heteronormative development interventions to sexual identities, human rights and citizenship.

This one day workshop has a number of confirmed speakers (including Kate Bedford, Mériam Cheikh, Tony Furlong, Simon Hutta, Nina Laurie, Steve Legg, Laura Paetau and Diane Richardson), who will begin discussions of various, often intersecting, issues:

• The relation of changing markets and intimacies in Latin America (Bedford)
• Sexual-economic practices, trafficking and their representations in Morocco (Cheikh), colonial India (Legg) and Nepal (Laurie and Richardson)
• Everyday experiences, identity performances, and LGBT anti-violence politics in Brazil and Colombia (Furlong, Hutta, Paetau)

This day conference seeks to develop connections and links for those who seek to consider these and further issues relating to sexualities and the Global South. It is designed to be supportive, so that thoughts and topics can be articulated across often segregated areas of study. In this spirit, emerging and embryonic ideas are welcome throughout the event.

The organising team would now like to invite participants to be part of this event, which will include spaces for dialogue and discussion.

The conference will act as a pre-conference to the Royal Geographical Society Institute of British Geographers Annual Conference 2009. Attendance at the preconference will cost £15 for waged/£5 for unwaged. There are a number of bursaries available to encourage the participation of students and unwaged persons.

Annual General Meeting

The AGM of the SSQWG will take place during the Royal Geographical Society with Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG) Annual Conference to be held at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

The AGM itself will take place on Wednesday 26 August 13:10 - 14:25 (room tbc). You do not need to be attending the RGS-IBG Annual Conference to attend the SSQWG AGM.

If SSQWG members would like to add items to the agenda for the AGM, please inform Jason Lim (Secretary) of these items by email. Items can be added to the agenda until 28th July 2009.

About SSQWG

The group’s aim is to promote and support research and teaching regarding the geographies of sexualities within academic geography and beyond. More specific objectives include:

a) To provide a forum to explore the meanings and implications of new directions in the geographies of sexualities; and to further explore the dialogue between geographical thinking and queer theory.
b) To stimulate and develop critical debate about geographies of sexualities within academic geography and in cognate disciplines.
c) To encourage greater dialogue between geographers and policy-makers, professionals and diverse ‘publics’ regarding key contemporary issues in the geographies of sexualities.
d) To offer a supportive environment for the exchange of ideas and the development of social networks to fight discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or practices, gender dissonance and other forms of gender/sexual prejudice.
e) To build upon the activities of the former RGS-IBG Space, Sexualities and Queer Working Group.
f) To encourage collaborative links to research groups and practitioners within other disciplines as well as other RGS-IBG Research Groups.
g) To maximize the involvement of postgraduates and new researchers in all of the Research Group’s activities.
h) To constitute a sustainable forum and support network that draws on research on the geographies of sexualities to further stimulate a growth in the number of taught courses and course modules in the field.