20 June 2018
Clashes between progressive and restrictive legislative reforms in the context of gender equality remain a characteristic of contemporary politics. We observe the first form of these clashes between domestic and international legal frameworks. Over the last decade, we have witnessed the destabilisation of gender equality through numerous pieces of legislation and policies at domestic level in contrast with the encouragement of progressive developments towards gender equality of the international human rights bodies. The second form of clashes occurs at domestic level where we come across both progressive and restrictive laws on gender equality in the same country.
Against this background, we are eager to interrogate both the contexts in which these clashes emerged and their influences upon gender equality. The question of how gender equality can or cannot be achieved not only relies on the examination of laws, but also requires an analysis of how these laws are produced by and shape society. The conference will thus focus on probing, examining and theorising the clashes in law, which are presently becoming more salient and inescapable. In the course of such inquiries into the non-consistency between levels and realms of law and politics, there are opportunities for empirical, practical and theoretical reflections about the nature of ‘clashes’. In addition to papers from legal researches, we look forward to receiving proposals from an inter-disciplinary approach.
This conference brings together researchers examining the role of legal structures in the (re)production of gender inequality. Papers are encouraged to focus on the list of sub-themes below, including but not limited to:
- Women’s rights
- Different forms of gender-based violence
- Abortion and reproductive rights
- Pornography
- Sex work
- LGBTQ+
- Intersectionality
- Gender and conflict
- Gender portrayal in media
We are also keen on receiving papers articulating the issues mentioned above in connection with specific phenomena occurring in different parts of the world, such as:
- Austerity
- Xenophobia and Islamophobia
- ‘Brexit’
- ‘Trumpism’
- ‘Alt-right’ and neo-Nazism
- Conservatism and nationalism
- Neo-liberalism
- Forced displacement/migration
- The deadline for submission of proposals is 6 April 2018.
- Proposals will be assessed by the conference organisers, and presenters will be contacted by 23 April 2018 with a final decision.
- The organisers are exploring the possibility of publishing a special issue with some papers presented at the conference. Papers selected for publication will be subject to a separate process of peer review.
- Email any queries to clashesinlaw@gmail.com
- Deadline for the abstract submission: 6 April 2018
- Decision on selection: 23 April 2018
- Deadline for Registration: 4 May 2018
- Date of the Conference: 20 June 2018
The conference is organised by a team of Postgraduate Researchers at School of Law, Politics and Sociology, University of Sussex:
Gizem Guney
David Davies
Po Han Lee
