Call for papers deadline: 12 May 2025, 12 midday (BST)
Conference date: 9 June 2025, 10am-4pm (BST)
ROLES Sexuality and Gender Studies Network is now accepting proposals for its 14th annual conference, which seeks to bring together a wide range of interdisciplinary research into gender and sexuality in all its forms.
As we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, this year’s theme, ‘Looking Back, Looking Forward’, is a call to critically evaluate and reassess key and foundational topics related to sexuality and gender, as well as a chance to open new lines of inquiry and platform emergent research. We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Critical intersections of gender and sexuality with race, class and/or disability
- Artistic and literary expressions of themes of gender and sexuality
- Histories and futures of LGBTQIA+ rights and policies across the globe
- Gender, sexuality and the medical humanities
- Queer studies across cultures, borders, languages, time, and species
- Interdisciplinary approaches to gender and sexuality studies
- Queer and trans* histories and theories
- Gender, sexuality and digital technologies and landscapes
- The future of gender and sexuality studies within the academy
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We invite submissions for individual papers (20 minutes in length), as well as proposals for presentations that break the mold of conventional academic conference papers (please detail what your presentation will entail in your proposal, and describe any technology requirements).
Abstracts should be no longer than 250 words, accompanied by a brief biography (50-100 words). Please submit your proposals by Monday 12th May via the button below. Any inquiries should be emailed to rolessexualitygender@gmail.com.
The conference will be held at the University of Birmingham and online; we welcome both in-person and online presenters and attendees.
Our past conferences
Each year the ROLES network hosts an interdisciplinary conference bringing together researchers studying a wide range of topics in Sexuality and Gender Studies. Most of our presenters are from the University of Birmingham, however we have welcomed friends and colleagues from other UK and European universities in recent years. Take a look at the programmes, abstracts and bios from ROLES conferences below.
2022
In June 2022, we held our 11th Annual Conference. We had panels on queer theology, queer politics and trans* advocacy, responding to violence against women, exploring sexuality in media, and reading queerness. Papers included 'Retracing Asexuality on British Television' and 'Bisexual Invisibility and Silence within the Church of England'.
2021
In July 2021, we held our 10th Annual Conference after a two year pandemic hiatus. We were joined by friends from universities in Budapest, Hungary, exploring a diverse range of topics from queer-baiting in Marvel films to bisexuality and Christian faith, to prostitution in Hungary. See the full programme by clicking the link above.
2019
The 9th Annual ROLES Conference took place in May 2019, featuring speakers across six panels. See the full programme by clicking the link above.
2018
The 8th Annual Roles Conference took place on 8 June 2018 and featured a keynote by Dr Gemma Commane on BDSM, Kink and the Creative Industries. See the full programme by clicking the link above.
2017
The 7th Annual ROLES Conference took place on 18 May 2017. It included a keynote by Professor Katherine Jenkins on gender identity, as well as thematic panels during which presenters discussed papers. Click the link above to see the full programme.
