Sociology Special Issue 2010: Sexualities: "Sociology Special Issue 2010: Sexualities
Call for Papers
Sexualities
Over the last 40 years there have been enormous transformations in the theorisation of sexuality, which have had significant implications not just for how we think about sexuality, but also for social and cultural theory more broadly. Sexuality is now central to much groundbreaking work by sociologists, and to contemporary public interest and policy making. This Special Issue considers the innovative contribution sociology has made to understandings of sexuality in the past, and to consider new directions for contemporary times.
An important challenge for future work is to elaborate frameworks that allow more complex analyses of the relationship between sexuality and its intersections with other theoretical traditions, social theory, social structures and broader social inequalities. This is the focus of this Special Issue. Key questions to be explored include: How does sexuality intertwine with other social divisions? What do different methodological and theoretical uses of intersectionality contribute to our understandings of sexualities? In our attempt to offer critical insights to these and related questions, we are casting a wide conceptual net in the consideration of sexuality in its broadest sense.
This Special Issue aims to theorise and develop new understandings of sexuality and intersectionality. In an attempt to critically examine the significance of theorising intersectionality in addressing contemporary sexualities, we aim to bring together a variety of contributions: from sociology and related disciplines, from different theoretical and methodological traditions (including quantitative and mixed methods, as well as qualitative), from contributors at different career stages, from those outside of the academy and from those based outside as well as in the UK.
Potential Contributions might include:
· Sexuality and intersectionality- key ideas and theoretical traditions
· Sexuality, 'race', ethnicity, gender, class, disability and embodiment
· Sexuality, place and space
· Historical and contemporary innovations in methods and theory
· Sexuality, age and generation
· Comparative approaches to sexuality
· Material realities of sexualities
· Sexuality and social policy concerns, agendas and legislation
· Sexuality and the media
This special issue will be edited by Mark Casey, Diane Richardson, and Yvette Taylor (Newcastle University) and Sally Hines (University of Leeds). We welcome articles of up to 7,000 words (including references) and also shorter review articles, commentaries and book reviews.
Submissions will be accepted via the journal's Manuscript Central site. Full submission instructions are available on the site on the 'Instructions and Forms page'. Please read these before submitting your manuscript. Deadline for final submissions: 31st July 2009. Queries to Mark Casey: M.E.Casey@ncl.ac.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it"
Welcome
I think Sociology is a lot like how the writer and director of The Incredibles describes cartoons:
In sociology, we often call this the "definition of the situation". It could be extended perhaps to also capture the spirit of what Mills called the "Sociological Imagination". No matter what moniker we give it, it is with this "essence" that I believe sociologists must concern themselves, not as rigid actuaries or impartial "scientists", but rather to approach their task much like the artist--with expression, grace, humility, as well as a good dose of criticism.
When an artist visualizes a painting they are working on, they have in their minds-eye an image of how it will look. Even when the "reality" of what they are actually looking at may simply be a block of stone or a blank canvas and table full of paints to mix. They can shape the creative process, but they do not control it completely. What shape their work will finally achieve is largely due to how they urge their clay, stone, paint or musical notation to find its expression in the face of significant constraints, i.e., time, temperature, temper and even a little bit of luck. Their final product may not look "identical" to what they had in mind, but their ability to "bump it up" can have breathtaking results. Take Michelangelo's masterpiece "Il Davido". Considered virtually perfect by many in the art world, the marble from which this sublime form was born was was rejected as flawed by others:
The gallery that houses this masterpiece is entered through a good sized hallway lined on both sides with the guardians of David--a group of unfinished works called "The Captives", aptly named because they look like bodies frozen in the cold hard marble yearning to break out. Michelangelo abandoned them because they were too far from his vision. However, when I visited the museum, I was really taken by these figures--I could see on the one hand how they were not "perfect", but there was something quite spectacular in their imperfection. It all boiled down to a matter of interpretation and vision.
Sociologists face the same dilemma. I think we have a great chance to work with diverse communities to address important social problems. We must remain aware, however, that our goal is not to "reproduce reality" or impose solutions on communities that are external and coercive of their needs. Our job is to use all of the tools in our kit to "bump it up" and encourage individuals to appreciate the beauty of community involvement and the satisfaction of (cultural) self-determination.
The reason to do animation is caricature. Good caricature picks out the essense of the statement and removes everything else. It's not simply about reproducing reality; It's about bumping it up.Good research and teaching by sociologists should likewise attempt to find the essence of a statement and remove everything else. Of course I am not naive enough to think that "essence"="TRUTH", or that all of the external forces and pressures individuals confront, especially in marginalized communities, can somehow be magically removed or held constant. I consider what Bird calls essence more a reflection of the process of sense making in which people engage everyday in order to bring some modicum of rationality to a seemingly hyper-irrational set of social contexts and interactions.
In sociology, we often call this the "definition of the situation". It could be extended perhaps to also capture the spirit of what Mills called the "Sociological Imagination". No matter what moniker we give it, it is with this "essence" that I believe sociologists must concern themselves, not as rigid actuaries or impartial "scientists", but rather to approach their task much like the artist--with expression, grace, humility, as well as a good dose of criticism.
When an artist visualizes a painting they are working on, they have in their minds-eye an image of how it will look. Even when the "reality" of what they are actually looking at may simply be a block of stone or a blank canvas and table full of paints to mix. They can shape the creative process, but they do not control it completely. What shape their work will finally achieve is largely due to how they urge their clay, stone, paint or musical notation to find its expression in the face of significant constraints, i.e., time, temperature, temper and even a little bit of luck. Their final product may not look "identical" to what they had in mind, but their ability to "bump it up" can have breathtaking results. Take Michelangelo's masterpiece "Il Davido". Considered virtually perfect by many in the art world, the marble from which this sublime form was born was was rejected as flawed by others:
Michelangelo took a rejected piece of marble that had numerous veins running through it and carved it into this Goliath-sized sculpture that was originally commissioned by Opera del Duomo
Michelangelo was young when he completed The David, yet you can see his talent and genius in this sculpture. He was 25 years old when he began the statue in 1501. No other sculptor wanted this piece of marble because it could be prone to shatter, but Michelangelo created a masterpiece with it...
The gallery that houses this masterpiece is entered through a good sized hallway lined on both sides with the guardians of David--a group of unfinished works called "The Captives", aptly named because they look like bodies frozen in the cold hard marble yearning to break out. Michelangelo abandoned them because they were too far from his vision. However, when I visited the museum, I was really taken by these figures--I could see on the one hand how they were not "perfect", but there was something quite spectacular in their imperfection. It all boiled down to a matter of interpretation and vision.
Sociologists face the same dilemma. I think we have a great chance to work with diverse communities to address important social problems. We must remain aware, however, that our goal is not to "reproduce reality" or impose solutions on communities that are external and coercive of their needs. Our job is to use all of the tools in our kit to "bump it up" and encourage individuals to appreciate the beauty of community involvement and the satisfaction of (cultural) self-determination.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
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