LGBT+ Classics: Teaching, Research, and Activism

The Women’s Classical Committee UK is organising a one-day workshop on Classics and Queer studies to highlight current projects and activities that embrace the intersections of research, teaching, public engagement, and activism.

The day will bring together academics in Classics (and related fields), LGBT+ activists, museum curators and those working in other areas of outreach and public engagement. We will explore how LGBT+ themes are included in Classics curricula; how public engagement with queer Classics and history of sexualities can contribute to fight homophobia and transphobia; and the ways in which the boundaries between research, teaching, and activism can be crossed. We will also discuss strategies of support for LGBT+ students and staff, current policies in Higher Education, and what still needs to be improved. We hope to create an atmosphere of sharing experiences, knowledge, and ideas among all the participants to further queering our discipline.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

09.45 – Registration desk opens

10.15 – Welcome and Introduction, with a message from Deborah Kamen (Seattle), Co-Chair of the Lambda Classical Caucus

10.30 – Sebastian Matzner (KCL, London): Queer Connections: Classics and the Gay Science

10.55 – Beth Asbury, Jozie Kettle, Clara Barker (Oxford): Out in Oxford: Hidden Stories in Plain Sight

11.30 – Coffee break

11.45 – Spotlight Talks (open call)

13.00 – Lunch

14.00 – Jen Grove and Rebecca Langlands (Exeter): Ancient Artefacts and Sex Education: Exploring Gender and Sexual Diversity with the University of Exeter’s “Sex & History” project

14.35 – Cheryl Morgan (co-chair of OutStories Bristol): How Not to Erase Trans History

15.00 – Nicki Ward (Birmingham): Sharing Good Practice: A Model for Embedding LGBTQ Inclusivity in the Curriculum.

15.25 – Maria Moscati (Sussex): Starting as Researcher and Becoming an Activist

15.50 – Coffee break

16.05 – Roundtable on policies and support strategies with Alan Greaves (Liverpool) and Clara Barker (Oxford).

16.35 – Concluding discussion

17.15 – Keynote address by Jennifer Ingleheart (Durham):

Queer Classics: Sexuality, Scholarship, and the Personal

18.15 – Drinks reception

Please note that this programme will be updated as necessary.

***

The event is organised by Katherine Harloe (k.c.harloe at reading.ac.uk), Talitha Kearey (tezk2 atcam.ac.uk), and Irene Salvo (isalvo at uni-goettingen.de).

Attendance is free for WCC UK members, £10 for non-members (to cover catering costs). You can join the WCC UK here (and if you’re a student, underemployed, or unemployed, membership is only £5). Travel bursaries will be available for students and the un/under-employed.

If you would like to attend this event, registration is now open on Eventbrite. You will need to register both for the workshop and the keynote. You can attend either or both of them but they are separate tickets – workshop registration is here and keynote registration is here. Members of the WCC UK are entitled to complimentary tickets and have will shortly be sent instructions on how to order them; if you need a reminder, please e-mail us at womensclassicalcommittee at gmail dot com.

The WCC is committed to providing friendly and accessible environments for its events, so please do get in touch if you have any access, dietary, or childcare enquiries.

Child-friendly policy

The Women’s Classical Committee is committed to making our events as inclusive as possible, and recognises that the financial and practical challenges of childcare often impede people from participating in workshops and conferences. Anyone who needs to bring a dependent child or children with them in order to participate in one of our events is usually welcome to do so, but we ask you to inform of us this in advance so that we can take them into account in our event planning and risk assessment. The safety and well-being of any children brought to our events remain at all times the responsibility of the parent or carer. While we do our best to ensure that rest and changing facilities are available for those who may need them, this will depend on the individual venue we are using. Again, please contact us in advance to discuss your needs, and we will do our best to accommodate them.

***

The event LGBT+ Classics is generously supported by the Department of Classics, University of Reading and by the Collaborative Research Centre 1136 Education and Religion at the University of Goettingen.