Tuesday, September 15, 2009

IRN-AFRICA Conference 2009: Genders
 and
 Sexualities 
in 
Africa




IRN-AFRICA Conference 2009:
Genders
 &
 Sexualities 
in 
Africa:
Opportunities 
and 
Challenges 
in 
the 
21st 
Century
Hosted by Empire State College, Central New York Center, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A.
October 1st through October 3rd, 2009



The International Resource Network in Africa (IRN-Africa) aims to link people doing research (both academic and community based) in areas related to gender and sexuality in Africa. We promote international communication and exchange through scholarship to expand knowledge building, foster comparative and collaborative projects among researchers, advance curricular and course development, and widen the availability of scholarly resources.


The IRN-Africa 2009 conference will bring together researchers, activists and thinkers whose intellectual work and political engagement are centered around issues of gender and sexuality, including gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered (LGBTQ) peoples in Africa and the Diaspora. The conference seeks to explore new opportunities arising from the internalization of research on sexualities in Africa, new challenges we are encountering in the 21st century, and new partnerships drawing from our diverse experiences in the Diaspora. Presenters include scholars, public intellectuals, and artists whose work defines new critical pathways to constructing a utilitarian and collective knowledge about sexuality, gender, society, and human agency.



The International Research Network in Africa (IRN-Africa) is funded by the Ford Foundation and works in partnership with Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York City University of New York (CUNY) in the United States of America. Empire State College (SUNY) is generously hosting the second meeting of IRN-Africa in Syracuse, NY, with paper presentations taking place Thursday, October 1st through Saturday, October 3rd. The conference is open to the public, and will include an art reception featuring Zanele Muholi’s photographic essay, “Faces & Phases, 2006-2009”, on Friday, October 2nd at 6:00pm. More info here.



Scholars will present papers as a panel within the following topical areas. (For a complete list of papers, please visit our website)

Women & Desire

Artistic Interventions: sexuality, art & media

Sexuality in Africa: Queer Methods

Sexuality & Human Rights

HIV/AIDS: culture and activism

Queering Religious Discourses

Queer Identities in Africa & the Diaspora


To register for the paper presentations please visit our website

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