Troubled by the status quo? We call for a new status queer!

As significant cultural changes in social reality are reflected and reinforced by representations in popular culture (with the law arguably lagging behind), we seek to question the status quo and look for examples of the creation of the new “status queer.”

We also want to update our understanding of what “status queer” is here and now: in contemporary social context, including politics, academia or activism. How is “status queer” being performed, reproduced or challenged in Polish society? Who is involved in this process, and why? How is queerness interconnected with gender/race/citizenship/disability and class within social practices or institutions? How far does the new queer culture go in calling into question the old social and political order? Does it always subvert it, or can it be integrated into old structures of power?

The aim of the conference is to create an opportunity for MA and BA students at the American Studies Center and Institute of Applied Social Sciences to present their research projects and facilitate an exchange of inspiring ideas. In hopes of creating an interdisciplinary, bilingual platform to discuss topics and methods related to Poland and the United States, we invite 10-15 minute-long presentations on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

‣ representation of gender in pop culture
‣ transgender and non-binary identities
‣ political conflicts over sexual minorities
‣ hegemonic and subaltern masculinities
‣ intersections of race and gender/sexuality
‣ intersections of class and gender/sexuality
‣ intersections of dis/ability and gender/sexuality
‣ histories of gender and sexual identities in the US or Poland
‣ the importance of gender/sexuality in the media
‣ non-normative sexualities in culture and society
‣ political struggles over gender equality
‣ history of feminisms and feminist debates today
‣ new methodologies in queer and gender studies
‣ living contemporary feminist & queer lives
‣ doing LGBTQ+ and queer activism in the US or Poland
‣ queering social life and institutions: emancipatory ideas and practices
‣ resisting homo- and transphobia
‣ resisting patriarchy
‣ cruising queer utopias and feminist futures

If you have a final paper that you are particularly proud of or if you are working on a B.A. paper or M.A. thesis that reflects on these topics, feel free to apply to the conference. New research is also welcome. You may present your research in Polish or in English.

The conference will be held on 26-27 April, 2024 at the University of Warsaw. All presenters will be invited to a free lunch during the conference. Conference participation is free of charge. The ASC presenters will be granted a grade of 5 for OZN!

Application deadline: March 1, 2024.
Acceptance notification: March 15, 2024.

Apply through a Google Form you will find here.

Organizing Committee:
Kamila Bagińska, Anna Maria Grzybowska, Mikołaj Szczerba, Miranda Zarzycka, Ludmiła Janion, Anna Kurowicka, Łukasz Mikołajewski, Marta Rawłuszko

 The conference is funded by:

Organizers

Year 2024/2025

February 18: Solidarity in Struggle – A Conversation with Sarah Schulman

February 13, 2025

We invite you to a meeting with the author of “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity,” Sarah Schulman, hosted by MA student at the ASC Julia Wajdziak. Together, we will look at the role of solidarity in contemporary activism, the challenges it faces, and the opportunities it creates for transnational alliances.

News

Office hours of Dr. Gajda-Łaszewska during the exam session

January 28, 2025

Office hours during the exam session: Thursday, 30 January 2025, 12:30-14:00; Friday, 07 February 2025, 10:30-12:00. Online office hours remain the same.  No office hours in the week of 10-15 February 2025.

News

Dołącz do Akademii Młodych Polskich Innowatorów i wygraj płatny staż!

January 23, 2025

Chcesz wziąć udział w stażu w amerykańskiej firmie? Masz 18–26 lat? Interesujesz się przedsiębiorczością, mediami lub sprawami publicznymi? Chcesz zdobyć wiedzę i doświadczenie od ekspertów z USA i Polski, a także pracować nad innowacyjnym projektem, który odpowie na aktualne wyzwania gospodarcze i społeczne dla Polski? Jesteś z Warszawy lub jesteś gotowy/a dojeżdżać do stolicy na warsztaty i staż? Jeżeli na powyższe pytania odpowiedź brzmi TAK!, to dołącz do programu „Pathfinders of Tomorrow: Akademia Młodych Polskich Innowatorów”, który łączy młodych liderów z praktykami, by wspólnie tworzyć nowatorskie rozwiązania.

Year 2024/2025

January 23: „I’m weird. I’m a weirdo.” The Allure of Unhinged Teen Television Drama Series Riverdale (2017-2023)

January 23, 2025

Join us for the second Weird TV lecture in 2025! Teen TV programming by The CW Television Network in the last 20 years has been a wildly successful blend of soap opera, generational saga, crime, the paranormal, and erotica. This paper argues that the drama series Riverdale (2017-2023) is the last show of this kind due to its week-to-week broadcasting format, as well as its convoluted, absurd, weird, and addictive storytelling. In the span of 6 years and 7 seasons, Riverdale explored various themes and topics: serial killers, occultism, time traveling, parallel universes, superpowers, folk tales, witchcraft, and many, many more. On a purely visual level, the show does take its inspiration from the grand tradition of horror/thriller genre storytelling, BUT is it camp, pastiche, or pure kitsch? This paper attempts to situate Riverdale within a broader context of both cult cinema/TV, and teen film studies. Finally, Riverdale’s weirdness and ridiculousness would be nothing without the show’s internet discourse, fandom, and critical reception, which are part of this analysis.

Year 2024/2025

January 21: “Women Against the Law” – Screening and Discussion of Estado de Proibição!

January 21, 2025

Join us for our first 2025 event, “Women Against the Law” – Screening and discussion of Estado de Proibição!” The screening and discussion will be conducted by doctoral student Thany Sacnhes. Estado de Proibição shares the stories of women who break the law to care for their children and of those who have lost their children to state violence connected to drug prohibition. The film, created by Plataforma Brasileira de Política de Drogas in collaboration with Panamá Filmes and supported by the Open Society Foundations, was filmed in São Paulo, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro. It aims to raise public awareness of the consequences of drug prohibition, which affect both drug users and non-users. The documentary highlights the intersections between the social and therapeutic use of drugs and examines how prohibitionist policies lead to the criminalization of communities and increased police violence.