We warmly invite you to a CIRCY Seminar: 

Futures reimagined: Time and affect in young women’s lives.

Signe Ravn

University of Melbourne

In this talk I will present analytical insights from my current book project where I explore non-linear temporalities in young women’s lives. The book problematises dominant understandings of youth futures, in particular the concept of transitions, that rely on a linear time model. In its place, it seeks to offer alternative, non-chronological conceptions of time and temporality that lead to new understandings of how young people, especially young women, orient themselves to ‘the future’. In the book, I combine affect theory and queer temporalities to assemble an analytical framework that can shed light on the non-linear, non-normative and undefined aspects of future orientations and the affects and subjectivities these generate. This framework is then put into dialogue with qualitative data from a large, longitudinal study of the imagined futures of young women on the margins in Australia. In this talk I share some of the insights that are generated through this and discuss what is gained from this approach.

Bio:

Dr Signe Ravn is an Associate Professor in Sociology in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne. Signe's research explores processes of marginalisation and positions of marginality, with a focus on youth, gender, disadvantage and risk. Her current theoretical interests centre around temporality, futurity and subjectivity, alongside her ongoing interests in qualitative methodology, narrative, creative methods and research ethics. She has published her research in high-ranking journals and co-edited a number of books, most recently ‘Narrative Now. Critical Perspectives on the Promise of Stories’ (2024) and ‘Small Data is Beautiful’ (2023). Signe is the co-founder of the Narrative Network in the Faculty of Arts and the co-host of the podcast Narrative Now. She is also the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Sociology, together with Dr Ashley Barnwell.

RSVP: 

Lunch will be provided for those attending in person. If you would like to attend online, please accept this calendar invite and then email Circyadmin@sussex.ac.uk to let us know you plan to attend online and to receive the Zoom link. Providing this information helps us order the right amount of food and refreshments.  

Best wishes,

The Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth Team

By: Eve Wilcox
Last updated: Monday, 2 June 2025