gender studies and sexuality

Healthcare and care provision have long been influenced by gendered dynamics. Whether in access to treatment, diagnosis, or the dominant narratives about body normativity, access to care remains unevenly distributed. The inclusion of women in health trials was not consistently considered until the NHS Revitalization Act of 1993; however, to this day, other structural factors, such as race, ethnicity, or class, remain underrepresented in clinical studies (Kwiatkowski et al., 2013). In patient-centered care, which emphasizes patients’ autonomy and overall well-being (Reynolds 2009), it is essential to consider both structural and individual factors.

CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, GA - April 8-11, 2026

Call For Papers: Reproductive Justice in Popular Culture

Virtual Identities and Self-Promoting explores the fascinating intersection of self, identity construction, and self-promotion within the digital realm. The internet has revolutionized how we present ourselves to the world. Social media platforms, online games, virtual worlds, and even professional networking sites provide individuals with a myriad of opportunities to curate and project versions of themselves. In an increasingly online world, individuals craft and curate virtual identities across various platforms, engaging in strategic self-presentation to achieve personal, social, and professional goals.

More Terrors than her Reason Could JustifyA 200th Anniversary Celebration of Ann Radcliffe’s Posthumous Publications

PCA/ACA Fat Studies 2026 Call for Papers/Presentations/Panels 

Deadline: 11.30.25 

PCA Fat Studies Area Call for Papers 

The Waves team is excited to announce an upcoming special issue, “

Targeted CFP: Routledge International Handbook of Global Asexualities and Aromanticisms

Targeted Call For Papers
Routledge International Handbook of Global Asexualities and Aromanticisms

Co-edited by: Ela Przybyło (Illinois State University) and Yo-Ling Chen (Independent Scholar)

Deadline for abstracts: November 15, 2025                    Contact email: globalacearo(at)gmail(dot)com

This call solicits essays for a critical collection provisionally titled, Other Mothers. The book seeks to update scholarship on mothers-in-the-academy from both critical perspectives on maternal theory as well as sociological frameworks. "Other mothers" might include mothers who have adopted, mothers who do not have residential custody of their children, women who have experienced fertility challenges, surrogate mothers, mothers utilizing surrogates, mothers with chronically ill children, mothers grieving the loss of children, and all others who face challenges outside the scope of traditional white, heterosexual, cisgender motherhood that have previously framed this discourse (in texts such as Mama PhD, Maternal Theory, etc).

Call for Book Chapters

Editors:
Dr. Muhsin Yanar, Visiting Researcher, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, Birkbeck, University of London
Dr. Grace Halden, Reader, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, Birkbeck, University of London
Dr. Russell Kilbourn, Professor, Department of English and Film Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

Sciences and Fictions: Human Futures Beyond Boundaries

We seek chapters for the forthcoming edited collection Sciences and Fictions: Human Futures Beyond Boundaries.

12–14 March 2026

Queer Bibliography in the South:

Space, Place, Community

Athens, GA and online

Queer Bibliography invites proposals for papers considering how gender, sexuality, and textuality intersect with place in the production of queer identity.

For the occident, a surprising cultural norm in India is that of men holding hands. Seen as unconventional and in sharp contrast to the West, the phenomenon symbolic of India (in particular) and South Asia at large became a project in 2018, whereby photographer Vincent Dolman created a series depicting an organic and intimate aspect of male friendship. Appreciating such uninhibitedness in a country given to rampant homophobia and toxic masculinity, Dolman, in one of his interviews, observes how such practices hold a mirror to society and societal conventions of masculine constructions and performances. 

Call for Submissions

Queering Sikh Identity and Desire through Lyrical Uprisings and the Poetics of Becoming

We invite poets from India and its diaspora to submit work that explores queerness in relation to their Sikh identity, sexuality, and the body. You do not need to identify as LGBTQIA+ to contribute—this call is open to those navigating self-discovery through poetry, as well as those who affirm and celebrate their queerness on the page.

In 2015, i-D magazine declared the year of the ‘sad girl’ (Thelandersson 2022: 157). In the decade since, portrayals of depressed, anxious, and mentally burdened women have scarcely abated, from the breakout success of Sally Rooney to the emergence of Sad Girl BookTok to Gen Z’s recent rediscovery of Lana Del Rey. Meanwhile, in the academy, subfields such as Affect Theory, Disability Studies, and Madness Studies represent growing areas of interest for increasing numbers of researchers and students.

Digital Defoe: Studies in Defoe and His Contemporaries (https://cedar.wwu.edu/digitaldefoe/) is an open-access, mutually-anonymous peer-reviewed journal exploring the intersection of Defoe and/or his contemporaries and digital humanities.

We strongly encourage the submission of innovative digital and multimedia projects, as well as experimental essays and pedagogical approaches.

 Full submission guidelines and archived issues of the journal may be found on the website: https://cedar.wwu.edu/digitaldefoe/policies.html