CFP: under construction? Feminist Constructivism in Theory Debates, Research and Every-day Practice

From: "daniela marx" <[email protected]>


SORRY FOR CROSSPOSTING

To all those interested in constructivist research perspectives:

We are planning an interdisciplinary workshop "under construction?
Feminist constructivisms in Theory Debates, Research and Everyday
Practice" in Kassel / Germany from January 16-18, 2003. We would like to
reach out to a broad spectrum of researchers, activists and artists with
our program.

Please consider the attached call for papers an invitation to particpate
in shaping the contents of the workshop. The deadline for submitting
abstracts is August 10, 2002.

Please forward this call for papers to others who may be interested.
Thank you.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Interdisziplinäre Arbeitsgruppe Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Universität Kassel
Möchebergstr. 21a
34109 Kassel
Tel.: +49 561-804-2714
Fax.: +49 561-804-7714
[email protected]
http://www.uni-kassel.de/iag-fg


Call for Papers

Interdisciplinary Working Group "Construction", Women's Studies and
Gender Stud-ies at the University of Kassel

Group Members: Urte Helduser, Daniela Marx, Tanja Paulitz, Katharina
Pühl

under construction?

Feminist Constructivism in Theory Debates, Research and Every-day
Practice - An Interdisciplinary Workshop

University of Kassel, January 16th - 18th, 2003


For many, "gender" as a "construct" has become the self-evident starting
point for their academic work. For others, the contructivist positions
in women's studies and gender studies have long been, and remain,
provocative. However, the term `con-structivism´ is certainly not always
used in the same manner, and it consequently remains quite fuzzy. What
the different constructivist theories have in common is the tendency to
stress the social and cultural construction of gender (as well as class,
race, ethnicity, etc.) over an essentialised understanding of these.
They understand "gender" and "nature" neither as original nor as
existing prior to social conditions and cultural production. Rather,
"gender" and "nature" are seen as "constructed" and therefore, in
principle, contingent. Constructivist theories attempt to critically
under-mine the essentialisation and naturalisation of gender through a
reconstruction that makes the process of (re-)production visible. In so
doing, the intervention of con-structivism stresses the productivity of
the process of construction, both in academia and in everyday relations.
Meanwhile, constructivism can be found in a variety of fields of social
and cultural sciences as well as in numerous methodological ap-proaches.
In particular, the understanding of constructivism has, of late, become
an explosive topic, largely due to developments in bio and
gene-technology as well as in information technology (IT). It is in this
context that we must analyse the meaning and position of social and
cultural constructs with a particularly critical eye. In this, we see
not only a new junction in interdisciplinary theoretical discussion, but
also the need to politically position constructivist perspectives in
women's studies and gender studies.

With the title "under construction?" we first aim for an academic,
self-reflective defini-tion of constructivist perspectives. Secondly, we
would like to take a closer look at the critical interest in the process
of construction. In this interdisciplinary workshop we therefore suggest
three means to these ends.

I. Revisiting Feminist Contructivist Debates
First, we take up the current state of the debate and attempt,
retrospectively, to char-acterise constructivist debates in women's
studies and gender studies. Among the varied methodological and
theoretical constructivisms, the following have become especially
influential in the field:
? ethnomethodological approaches in social sciences to women's studies
and gen-der studies as well as to cultural studies;
? deconstructive perspectives in social sciences, linguistics and the
study of litera-ture;
? discourse theory in a variety of fields, drawing in particular from
the work of Mi-chel Foucault;
? theories of representation or critical approaches to representation in
language, culture, media and aesthetics.

The retrospective should lead us in particular through the following
questions: What potential for change in women's studies and gender
studies does constructivism of-fer? Which central arguments open the way
for further constructivist perspectives? What is the position of
constructivist research programmes today and what influence do these
have on the current direction of gender research?

II. Dimensions of Construction in Critical Research
With the differentiation and diffusion of the constructivist
perspectives, scholars have had to give up the pretence of universal,
meta-terminology in order to make terms applicable to  heterogeneous
research contexts. In this context, our second step is to illustrate
feminist constructivist research praxis in four central dimensions.
These are:
? epistemological;
? material;
? symbolic;
? strategic means of agency

In our opinion, these four dimensions reflect central aspects of
constructivist terms, which we should use to structure individual
constructivist research projects. From this starting point, we can
clearly develop the differences among constructivist ap-proaches as well
as an interdisciplinary and broad-based understanding of their
commonalties. We hope for contributions of constructivism research from
a variety of disciplines including the production of nature and
technology, the construction of the other and the self, changing
self-relations in work and everyday life, cultural produc-tion, media
and aesthetics, sexual political topics, gender and economy, the
con-struction of the private and political and/or personal, etc.

III. The Relationships Between Constructivist Research, Everyday
Practice and Politics
Thirdly, we would like to focus on the relationships and boundaries
between scholar-ship, practice and politics. In so doing, we will
analyse more closely the potential for political action and aesthetic
practices. These go beyond becoming conscious of construction and can
have an altering effect through, for example, provocative
de-constructions. Here we are especially interested in the question of
levels at which such intervention takes place, as well as their
achievable effects. For this block, we are looking for contributions
that will go into the political content of feminist-constructivist
approaches. On the one hand this involves "research politics". On the
other hand, it involves practical political options for everyday
reality, ways of life, forms of social conflict and art-based
interventions. We are concerned with concepts that work with the
political dimensions that are always part of constructivism. How can we
trace this goal in contemporary approaches of network strategies in
alliance politics, through practices of the performative and narrative,
to the visual (de-)construction?

We invite contributions (1-2 pages) for presentations, commentaries or
statements by August 10th, 2002 (for English contributions). Please
include a short biographical statement. Please send abstracts to:
IAG Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung,
Universität Kassel,
Mönchebergerstr. 21a,
34109 Kassel
Germany

Tel. (office/secretary) +49 561 804 2714
Fax: +49 561 804 7714
Email: [email protected]

Further information will be sent out upon receipt of abstracts.