Feminist thought – politics of concepts
The 5th Christina Conference of Gender Studies focuses on the role of concepts in feminist thought. Concepts are crucial in all research, and also often deeply political, as feminist scholarship creates and circulates conceptual innovations which transform social realities transnationally.
Concepts such as “gender” and “queer” have already showed their transformational power. A plethora of others contest realities, but are also prone to creating conflicts and politics of its own within feminist thought: just consider ”equality,” ”sexual difference,” ”representation,” ”sex work,” ”transgender,” ”social construction,” ”materiality,” ”affect,” ”masculinity,” ”body,” ”performativity,” or ”intersectionality.” The choice of concepts in research is always a political choice, and it also takes part in the politics of concepts within feminist scholarship.