Research on gender, sex and sexuality forms a growing strength of the Department and colleagues are centrally involved in the interdisciplinary Sex, Gender and Sexualities research centre.
Work on the past present and future of sex and sexuality forms a key strand.
Futuresex is a multidisciplinary academic/activist initiative focused on the histories and futures of sex, gender and sexuality, run by David Griffiths, Katherine Hubbard and Kirsty Lohman, alongside other staff from across the University.
David Griffiths’ research on intersex in the UK combines queer theory with feminist science studies, and cultural histories of science and medicine. Collaborative work between Griffiths and Katherine Hubbard focuses on the medical and legal histories of sex, gender and sexuality. Katherine Hubbard also has carried out broader work on queer feminist histories in Britain, relating to activism, queer women’s communities, and Psychology. Kirsty Lohman works on contemporary and recent histories of queer and/or trans cultural participation and social activism – and she conducts critical feminist research on the production and valuing of knowledge and of culture.
The relationship between life transitions and sexualities is a further area of expertise.
This includes Andrew King’s collaborative CILIA-LGBTQI+ project, which provides a cross-cultural investigation of the impact of inequalities experienced by LGBTQI+ people during youth, mid-life and transitions into retirement.
It also involves several projects by Emily Setty, including on the impacts of lockdown on young people’s uses of digital media in relationships; experiences of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) among young people involved in online sexual behaviours; and applied policy projects to co-design resources to support healthy and safe youth culture in schools, and to evaluate innovative new resources for RSE on sex and consent.
Robyn Muir’s research on the images of femininity within the Disney Princess Phenomenon widens our understanding of the Disney Princesses in girl culture, focusing on film, merchandising and consumer experiences as ways for audiences to make meaning.
Gender forms a central part of the work of a variety of colleagues, many of whom are connected to the Families and Lifecourse research group. Examples include Venetia Evergeti’s work on the gendered organisation and negotiation of care responsibilities and family relations across borders and Maria Adams’ research on family relationships during the imprisonment of a family member and mothering in the context of having a son in prison. See the Families and Lifecourse research group for more detail.
Nathalie Weidhase's research is situated within the field of feminist media studies, with an intersectional focus on embodiments and formations of feminism and postfeminism in popular culture and media.