Legislating/ Politicising/ Institutionalising

Coordinators

Christine Quinan, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, C.L.Quinan[at]uu.nl

Giovanna Vingelli, University of Calabria, Italy, giovanna.vingelli[at]unical.it

Tatjana Zimenkova, Technical University of Dortmund, Germany, tatiana.zimenkova[at]tu-dortmund.de

Verena Molitor, University of Bielefeld, Germany, verena.molitor[at]uni-bielefeld.de

Alexander Kondakov, European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, akondakov[at]eu.spb.ru

Scholars have long debated the effects of institutionalisation on the prospect of achieving social change. While many of the social movements that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s were initially characterised by protest activity against the state and against dominant norms, feminist and queer movements have over time also become partially institutionalised through their inclusion in legislation, policies, and practices, both at national and international levels. Yet as institutional channels are increasingly contested, new forms of mobilization are emerging that are less institutionalized and activate change in different ways. In line with a wave of global protests, more radical agendas linked to gender, body and sexuality have emerged and intensified. Much of this takes place in an era of austerity and/or deepening economic inequalities as well as social tensions around race, gender, class, religion, and citizenship status. In this respect, it remains necessary to simultaneously question the concept of ‘institutionalisation’ and what effects it may have on different groups, movements and academic fields.

This conference stream aims to bring together the latest research – both empirical and theoretical – that both uses and develops gendered analyses of institutions, legislation and politics. We aim to discuss future research agendas in a variety of settings, contexts, and disciplines (e.g., Gender Studies, Critical Race Studies, Disability Studies, Queer Studies, History, Sociology, Political Science, Education, Literature, Ethnology, Media Studies, Cultural Studies).

We welcome papers that address a range of topics, including:

(de)institutionalisation of feminist and queer movements, their discourses and practices

the agency of feminist and queer activists as actors in institutional change and institution-building

practices, policies and discourses of gender-mainstreaming

the opportunities and perils generated by the institutionalisation

feminist and queer reflections on diverse international practices, such as politics, activism and advocacy

growing mobilisation and counter-mobilisation on issues of race, reproductive justice, migration, religion, peace movements, and post-conflict reconstruction

feminist agendas, conservative threats and backlashes

feminist and queer trajectories in the context of state-organized capitalism and neoliberal frameworks