This session is part of the INSEP2013 Conference – The Value(s) of Sexual Diversity. The conference focuses on the legal, political and ethical boundaries of diverse sexualities, “troubling” current assumptions, dispositions and claims for the boundaries between legitimacy and illegitimacy in diverse sexual identities, sub‐cultures and practices in both national and international contexts. We welcome paper proposals reflecting on the ethical and methodological criticalities associated with doing empirical research on sexual diversities and (in) sexual (sub)cultures.

Special session of “INSEP2013 ‐ The Value(s) of Sexual Diversity”

Third International Conference of the International Network for Sexual Ethics and Politics ‐ INSEP

14th ‐ 16thOctober 2013,Ghent University,Belgium

Argument

For this session we welcome paper proposals reflecting on the ethical and methodological criticalities  associated with doing empirical research on sexual diversities and (in) sexual (sub)cultures.

Using established qualitative and/or quantitative strategies, as well as mixed methods, in the field of sexuality studies poses some methodological end ethical challenges. These have to do with, among others, issues of privacy and (self)disclosure; legitimacy and acceptance; distance and involvement, etc. Some target populations, e.g., are ‘hidden’ populations and therefore difficult to identify and contact. Social and legal norms constructing regimes  of normalcy relegate some sexual practices, identities and groups to a shadowy existence. Does leaving the mainstream affect the ways these populations and practices  are studied? Through this call for paper, the session organisers encourage contributors to present papers in which the methodological and ethical criticalities are discussed they had to face during their empirical research experience, and on the strategies they used to overcome those criticalities.

This special session will mark out future directions for researchers interested in contesting/reformulating our understandings of knowledge production in gender and sexuality studies, research methods and ethics. In order to contribute to these streams of research and to open up new horizons for further investigation, we invite contributors to submit abstracts elaborating their experiences of the ethical and methodological criticalities of empirical approaches to researching sexual diversities, like, e.g., BDSM and sex work. Studies that have employed qualitative and/or quantitative strategies, as well as mixed method approaches, are welcome. We are particularly interested in contributions that expose the challenges, the emerging issues, the solutions and the ethical criticalities emerged in combining innovative approaches and evaluation programs in order to analyze the representations and meanings of sexual diversities, diverse sexual practices, sex working and BDSM.

This session is part of the INSEP2013 Conference – The Value(s) of Sexual Diversity. The conference focuses on the legal, political and ethical boundaries of diverse sexualities, ‘troubling’ current assumptions, dispositions and claims for the boundaries between legitimacy and illegitimacy in diverse sexual identities, sub‐cultures and practices in both national and international contexts.

Submission guidelines

Submissions for this specific call for paper (300 words) should reach us by

the final deadline of 31 July 2013.

Please send abstracts to alessandro.porrovecchio@gmail.com 

Normal acceptance/rejection notification: within 10 days.

The conference fee for presenting delegates for the full three days is 200 Euros, which includes the conference pack, refreshments and a conference dinner.
A concessionary rate of 150 Euros is available to presenting students and postgraduates.
The rate for non‐presenting delegates is 100 Euros, including refreshments, conference pack and the conference dinner.

Core Organising & Scientific Committee

• Paul Reynolds - Reader, Edge Hill University, UK
• Tom Claes - Associate Professor, Ghent University, Belgium
• Alex Dymock - University of Reading, UK
• Angelika Tsaros - Institut fuer Queer Theory, Berlin, Germany

All abstracts are blind refereed using INSEP’s database of previous delegates.