Category Archives: Updates

Call for new committee members 2021-22

As the PGRNS is moving into its 6th year we would like to invite new members to join the committee. We have been overwhelmed by the fascinating work being done by postgraduates in gender across Scotland and we continue to facilitate a platform for gender researchers to connect and exchange ideas across disciplines and institutions.

Committee Member Responsibilities: 

  • Running the email on a weekly rotation
  • Running the social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) on a weekly rotation by posting relevant news, funding and job opportunities, CfPs and events to our followers
  • Organising relevant blog posts on a monthly rotation. This can also mean delegating the blog post to a friend or fellow academic who is interested in writing about gender
  • Writing the newsletter and bulletin on a monthly rotation
  • Organising a workshop and/or a conference

Being a committee member will provide you with crucial experience for your academic CV:

  • Running a research network, organising a workshop and/or a conference, managing social media accounts and running a blog

And just as important; it gives you a unique opportunity to meet some extraordinary PGR students across Scotland to network and to form research collaborations and friendships.

If you are interested please apply by emailing us at pgrnscot@gmail.com by with: 

  • Your Name
  • Institution
  • Discipline/Area of study
  • A few lines about why you would like to join the committee and what you would bring to the role.

Deadline for applications: 24th September 2021

Mentoring Master’s Dissertations

Join us for three separate sessions on how to write a Master’s dissertation that focuses on gender research. Hear tips and advice from the PGRNS committee who are currently completing their PhDs across different disciplines in Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences. You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions that you might have!

Session 1: Initial thoughts + literature reviews – Wednesday 9th June, 1pm

Session 2: Data collection + analysis – Exact date TBC

Session 3: Conclusions, formatting + editing – Exact date TBC

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/p6b87EPukfM5SWQ7A

June 2021 Newsletter

image from @ts7trackfive on tumblr

FINALLY we’re seeing some sunshine after what has been the coldest Scottish May in over 40 years. And with the Level 3 lockdown restrictions still in place in Glasgow, as well as the daily instances of human rights violations* and atrocities across the world becoming more and more horrific, it’s safe to say that the last few weeks have seemed pretty bleak. But certain to splash a bit of colour on June is Pride Month! We hope that this celebration reminds us all of the struggle for visibility, safety and freedom that the LGBTQIA+ community still faces, and encourages us to protect and advocate for all members of society, regardless of who they choose to be and love. 

*Here at PGRN, we stand in solidarity with anyone living in danger of oppressive regimes, and we especially condemn the ethnic cleansing and colonial occupation of the people of Palestine, who are living in unimaginable conditions. For more news and resources on the Palestine struggle, as well as how we, in the UK, can help, see here. 

On a lighter note, we’re excited to announce that we will be running several workshops on Mentoring Master’s Dissertations over the next few weeks! If you’re a current Masters student in Gender Studies/a related discipline and will be working on your dissertation over the summer, then we’d like to invite you along to our workshops where our committee members will be answering questions on anything from essay structure, to word count, to explaining what ‘methodology’ even means…basically the questions that you are too afraid to ask your professors! The committee members are currently working on their PhD’s, and so can offer lots of tips and advice on a Master’s dissertation. We are offering three online workshops, each an hour long and focusing on different elements of the dissertation, so feel free to pop along as and when you can:

  1. Initial thoughts + literature reviews: Wednesday 9th June, 1pm 
  2. Data collection + analysis: Week beginning 21st June, exact date TBC
  3. Conclusions, formatting + editing: Week beginning 5th July, exact date TBC

Please spread the word to your fellow students, and feel free to get in touch with us beforehand if there are any specific issues you would like us to discuss!

GENDER ONLINE

** Online Resources, Seminars, Materials and Events *

Gender Theory Syllabus 

  • Prof. Alison Phipps (University of Sussex) has shared her 13 week MA Gender Studies course online, including reading lists, lesson plans and classroom principles. Read and download it here.

LSE Department of Gender Studies: Interdisciplinary workshops

  • The Epistemic Urgency of Conceptual Diversity – Reshaping Knowledge Production in the Social Sciences
  • June 1st and 2nd: 9:40-5:30pm BST
  • Registration is free and can be done in advance here. 

RACE.ED panel event: ‘Racial Equity Work in the University and Beyond: The Race Equality Charter’

  • Thursday 3rd June, 12:30pm
  • Register here. 

GAPS Climate justice and conflict: Gender, peace and environmental rights

  • Online panel event, speakers TBA
  • Tuesday 6th July, 1-2pm BST
  • Register and find out more here. 

CLAW Napier research talks: “Just sex? The discursive construction of sexual violence in itnernet humour about #MeToo”, and “‘Tied up in knots’ – Ethical tensions in my research of linguistic violence on Twitter”

  • June 9th, 3:30-4:45pm
  • Registration required by 10am on 8th June
  • Register here. 

Scottish Women’s Convention Conference: Bullying and Harassment

  • Wednesday 9th June: 6-8pm
  • Register and find out more here. 

LSE: A World In Revolution Conference

  • Feminist politics in times of social uprising
  • June 10th, 10:30am-6:30pm
  • Register and find out more here. 

Women’s History Network: Online Seminar on Sexual Violence in Conflict

  • Supporting the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
  • Saturday 19th June: 1-4pm BST
  • Registration is free and can be done in advance here. 

CALLS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS/ABSTRACTS/PAPERS/MORE

Early Modern Men: Patriarchs, Patriots and Pricks in Europe, 1500-1800. An Interdisciplinary History Conference

  • Abstract deadline: September 2021 (200 words)
  • Conference: February 2022
  • More information.

PhD Women Scotland

  • Looking for contributions on any topic for January-April 2021 from women/non-binary people currently doing or just finished a PhD in Scotland. For more information email phdwomenscot@gmail.com 

Engender Blogs

  • En-Gender: Rolling CFP between 3,000-8,000 words on gender and religion, sex and sexuality, feminism and activism, motherhood and childcare. For more information email: engenderingthepast@gmail.com

FemQuant: feminist quantitative analyses of gendered inequalities

  • Abstract deadline: 25th June
  • Conference date: 6th September 2021
  • More information. 

Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies Postgraduate Conference 2021: Conflict, Rebellion and Popular Protest

  • Researchers from across the Arts and Humanities can participate in two ways: 10-15 minute papers, or research posters
  • Abstract deadline of no more than 250 words plus a short bio: 28th May before 5pm
  • Send to arts-cscspgconference@glasgow.ac.uk
  • Conference date: 27th-28th July via zoom

Call for participants for a study exploring queer teacher identity

  • The research will explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ early career teachers in relation to identity formation and navigation
  • If interested, email Charlotte Feather: bh20ff@student.sunderland.ac.uk

JOBS AND PHD OPPORTUNITIES

Gendered Violence and Restorative Justice

  • Self-funded PhD studentship at Edinburgh Napier University 
  • Application deadline: 30th November 2021
  • Find out more here. 

Scot Gov work in social research

  • Gathering CV’s for fixed term and temporary appointments
  • Application deadline: on a rolling basis
  • Submit CV to socialresearch@gov.scot 

The Women’s History Network Fellowships for Independent Researchers

  • Application deadline: 1st August 2021
  • Offering grant of up to ÂŁ750 to support those researching women’s history
  • Find out more here. 

The Empower Project: Hiring a Co-Director

  • Voluntary but opportunities for remuneration
  • Looking for someone involved in community organising, passionate about intersectional feminism and want to get involved with one of Scotland’s fastest growing charities
  • Application deadline: Monday 21st June
  • Find out more here. 

Gender and Education Association recruiting Member Representatives

  • Application deadline: Monday 14th June
  • Find out more here. 

Scottish Drugs Forum recruiting part-time researcher

  • To work on a new study of naloxone and overdose responses, in partnership with Kings College London
  • Application deadline: 1st June
  • Find out more here. 

Get Involved and Stay in Touch with PGRNS

  • Follow us on Twitter @PGRNScotland and Instagram @PGRNScot!
  • Email us at PGRNScot@gmail.com to join the mailing list, tell us about an event or CFP, suggest a project, organise a virtual event etc.
  • Join our Facebook group: Post-graduate Gender Research Network of Scotland – it’s a semi-private group so you can find us but you can’t see what’s going on until you’re a member.
  • Subscribe to our blog and let us know if you would like to write a post for us!

Best Wishes,

Karyn Mabon, Robyn Harris, Huzan Bharucha, Carlotta Moro, Laura Shaw, Anna McEwan  and Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff. 

PGRNS Organising Committee

If you no longer wish to receive updates from PGRNS, unsubscribe here. 

Gendering 2020(+1) Conference Programme

GENDERING 2020(+1) CONFERENCE 

Thursday 4th February 2021 

9:45am – 4:15pm 

9:45 – 10am: Opening remarks. 

10 – 11am: Session 1 – Women’s Writing Across Space and Time 

Ross Cameron: “I expected something different – perhaps a wild mountain land inhabited by a half-savage people”: Rewriting Southeastern Europe in Anglo-American women’s travel writing, 1900-1914”. 

Paul Thompson: “Judging the book by the cover: The semiotics of gender in lesbian pulp artwork 1950-1965”. 

11 – 12pm: Session 2 – Thinking Beyond Binaries 

Luan Cassal: “Where is this road going? Notes on discourses of progress in the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGAEurope) annual reviews”. 

Maxwell Davies: “G[end]er Creative Parenting”. 

Ashley Thornton: “Gendered pronouns usage by Chinese EL2 speakers: Investigating epicene forms”. 

12pm: End of morning session. 

1:45 – 2pm: Afternoon session remarks. 

2 – 3pm: Session 3 – Masculinities in Crisis 

Marianna Golinucci: “Like a Fearless Punk Ballad” or, redefining masculinity from a Welsh mining town. The Manic Street Preachers: a case study”. 

Rebecca Jones: “#SoyBoy: Masculinity, Meat and Insult in Twenty-First Century Discourse”. 

Clare Binning: “The Undateables: Inceldom, Entitlement and the State Mandated GF”. 

3 – 4pm: Session 4 – The Gendered Body in the Visual Arts 

Clare McKeown: “Sexual imagery and sexual violence: representational tensions in feminist campaigns”. 

Rachel Thain-Gray: “Who is the ‘woman’ in the ‘women’s’ museum?” 

Camila Cavalcante: “Strategies in feminist photography and the fight for abortion rights: Olivia Harris, Emma Campbell, and Laia Abril”. 

4 – 4:15pm: Closing remarks. 

December 2020 Newsletter

Image by @theequalityinstitute

It’s December, the final month of a year that can only be described as totally and ridiculously surreal. We’ve witnessed Australia’s deadliest bushfire season, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping away from their royal duties, the impeachment of a sitting POTUS, the landmark conviction of Harvey Weinstein, worldwide demonstrations for the Black Lives Matter movement, the devastating Beirut explosion, the death of feminist heroine Justice Ruth Ginsberg, Joe Biden claiming presidential victory over Donald Trump, and on top of all that, a global pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the lives of millions across the globe and kept the rest of us in a suspended state of isolation and confusion. Safe to say, if you’re still suffering from a 2020-induced prolonged period of existential dread, then you are certainly not alone. Times have been tough and trying, and if one thing is for sure it’s that everyone’s postgraduate gender research journey has been challenged, reconfigured, and even halted altogether. As the year comes to an end, it’s important that we take the time to acknowledge the difficulties that we have faced and ultimately overcome, and to look to 2021 with hope and faith that the world will pick itself up. But even more importantly, we have a newsletter filled with a whole host of exciting online events, conferences and call for papers for you to pop into your diaries. As always, let us know your thoughts on the resources, and have a safe, peaceful and joyful winter break. 

PGRN’s GENDERING 2020 CONFERENCE

As you have hopefully seen already, we will be hosting our Gendering 2020 Conference ONLINE in February 2021 (exact date TBC). The deadline for abstracts (500 words max.) is now 11th January 2020. We would also like you to send a short biography (100 words max.) in addition your abstract. Notifications of acceptance/rejection will take place on 18th January 2020. We look forward to reading your abstract! For more information, see here.

GENDER ONLINE

** Online Resources, Seminars, Materials and Events **

Strathclyde Feminist Research Network Seminar Series

  • The Strathclyde Feminist Research Network have announced their 2021 seminar series, with seven different seminars starting in January! Get your free tickets here.

The Status of Trans Rights in the UK: A Multi-Disciplinary Exploration of the Trans Experience in the British Context

  • Date: 1st December, 5pm.
  • Hosted by LSE Gender
  • Sign up here.

Girl Up Edinburgh’s “Reproductive Justice 101” Online Event

  • Date: 1st December, 6pm
  • Hosted in tandem with Black Feminist Space and Black Ed Movement
  • Discussing what reproductive justice is and why it’s important
  • Sign up here. 

Stanford and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage: Online Event

  • When: 2nd December, 12am (midnight)
  • An exploration of the U.S. Women’s Suffrage Campaign 
  • Sign up here.

Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities Workshops

  • Date: 3rd December
  • For PhD researchers across Scotland
  • ‘The Ethics of Collaboration’, 12-2pm
  • ‘Personal Branding Workshop’, 2:30-4:30pm
  • Online via zoom

Period Posse: Fall Webinar Series

Strathclyde Union #16dayd Fight For The Night Online Campaign

  • Date: 11th December, 4-11pm
  • Annual march to make our streets safer for women and other marginalised folks, but from the comfort of your own home
  • Link to the Facebook event here. 

Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online

  • A collection of resources by Newcomb Institute of Tulane University for adopting a feminist pedagogy for teaching online. Find out more here.

Artificial Intelligence and Unfair Bias: Addressing Gendered and Racialized Inequalities in AI (Workshop)

  • Date: 29th March 2021
  • Part of the Cambridge Festival for the University of Cambridge
  • For more information see here. 

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Gendering 2020: Postgraduate Gender Research Network Conference

  • Date: Feb 2021, exact date TBC
  • Where: Online via Zoom
  • Abstracts deadline: 11th Jan 2021
  • More information. 

Women and Gender in Development Virtual Conference

Gender History of Central and Eastern Europe: Women and Science in the Twentieth Century

Canadian International Conference on Gender & Women’s Studies

  • When: 3rd-4th July 2021
  • Where: Toronto
  • Abstract deadline: 15th May
  • More information. 

Intersectional Approaches to Disability and Race 

  • Date: 9th July 2021
  • Where: Online
  • Abstract deadline: 28th February 2021
  • More information.

CFP: 5th International Conference on Gender Studies

  • Date: 18th July 2021
  • Where: Leeds (dependent on Covid situation)
  • Abstract deadline: 1st May 2021
  • More information. 

Talking Bodies 

  • Date: 28th-31st July 2021
  • Where: University of Chester 
  • Abstract deadline: January 2020
  • More information.

International Conference on Gender and Democracy

  • Date: 13-14th August 2021
  • Where: Stockholm University
  • Abstract deadline: 15th February 2021
  • More information.

CALLS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS/PAPERS/MORE

Engender Blogs

  • En-Gender: Rolling CFP between 3,000-8,000 words on gender and religion, sex and sexuality, feminism and activism, motherhood and childcare. For more information email: engenderingthepast@gmail.com

Academic Audio Transcription

  • Specialist Academic Transcription Services with a social impact. Supporting research, improving access, and creating fairly-paid work for disabled people.
  • For more information find them on Twitter or contact them via email hello@academicaudiotranscription.com

PhD Women Scotland

  • Looking for contributions on any topic for January-April 2021 from women/non-binary persons currently doing or just finished a PhD in Scotland. For more information email phdwomenscot@gmail.com 

Lucy Writers Platform

  • Submissions open for the new series ‘Disembodied Voices’ which explores the idea and reality of friendship in the current pandemic era. Send personal essays, reviews, fiction, poetry etc to them at friendshipandcovid@gmail.com. For more information see here. 

The F Word

  • Contemporary UK Feminism website accepting writing submissions on a rolling basis. For more information see here. 

LGBTQI+ Lives Scotland

  • Sign up to their monthly newsletter here.

The Debutante: the Feminist-Surrealist arts journal

  • Accepting blog submissions on a rolling basis.
  • For more information see here. 

JOBS AND PHD OPPORTUNITIES

  • Applications for ESRC scholarships for PhD funding via the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (@SocSciScotlan) are now available for both UK and International applicants. See info at the UofG website, and email Dr Matthew Waites if interested in supervision on topics such as sexuality and gender issues. 
  • PhD studentship on the topic of “#TechAbuse in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence” with University College London. Deadline for submissions is 29th January 2021. For more information see here.  
  • Annette Lawson Charitable Trust Grant Competition: Grants of up to ÂŁ1,000 are available this year to PhD students in the social sciences. This year’s grant competition focuses on the theme of The Gender Dynamics of Crisis and Community. Deadline for applications is 21st December; for more information see here. 
  • PhD studentship at the University of Southampton (ESRC) on young women’s loneliness in an age of austerity. Deadline for applications is 18th January 2021. Find out more here.
  • AHRC funding call offering up to ÂŁ10k for public engagement activity based on your PhD to be delivered February-April 2021. Deadline for application is 15th December. For more information see here. 
  • Assistant Scientist – Socioeconomic Market and Gender Research with the IRRI, Bangladesh. Application closing date: 5th December. For more information see here. 
  • Several jobs available at Rape Crisis Scotland. See here for more information. 
  • Job vacancy at Women’s Aid Scotland: Children and Young Person Policy Worker. Application deadline 3rd December. For more information see here. 

 To Get Involved and Stay in Touch with PGRNS

  • Follow us on Twitter @PGRNScotland and Instagram @PGRNScot!
  • Email us at PGRNScot@gmail.com to join the mailing list, tell us about an event or CFP, suggest a project, organise a virtual event etc.
  • Join our Facebook group: Post-graduate Gender Research Network of Scotland – it’s a semi-private group so you can find us but you can’t see what’s going on until you’re a member.
  • Subscribe to our Blog and let us know if you would like to write a post for us!

Best Wishes,

Robyn Harris, Huzan Bharucha, Carlotta Moro, Karyn Mabon, Anna McEwan, Laura Shaw and Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff. 

PGRNS Organising Committee

November 2020 Bulletin

NOVEMBER BULLETIN 2020

This month we are doing something slightly different. We would like to draw your attention to the work of First Time Inside – an organisation that aims to support people who are sentenced to custody for the first time. First Time Inside links people with others who have experience of the justice system and prison, in order to help and guide them through the transition from life outside to life inside.

This year, they have been working on a project called Hidden Voices which aims to give those involved in the justice system a platform to share their stories and thoughts, as well as providing a creative outlet. Reading the incredible work of these men and women has been simultaneously inspiring and heart-breaking through the Covid-19 crisis as they have been experiencing what can be described as a double lockdown. This project is forever expanding and the works produced are in the process of being consolidated into an anthology with preface by Ian Rankin and contributions by John Scott QC, amongst others. This anthology will be available next month and they are currently taking pre-orders. First Time Inside will use the funds raised through this to gift copies to family and friends of the poets, and continue to fund the amazing work they do.

They can be found on Twitter at @FirstTimeInside or you can contact them through their website here.

The following 5 works were written by people currently imprisoned throughout Scotland.

Found a Friend in Lockdown

Sitting here in lockdown I got lost inside a book

Not much way of comfort, chocolate was all it took

I was sitting reading in my cell but got rudely interrupted

I flew up to my sweetie stash which was terribly corrupted

I counted all my sweets but one? How could this be?

A mouse was running we the last mars bar! He’d made an enemy

I pounced but flounced and saw him scurry over the floor

I had to grab him in a hurry before he reached for something more.

I held him in a vice like grip then saw a tear jerk from his eyes

It didn’t matter what he had done. I couldn’t bring his demise

“Gone then Miss Convict! Go on tak my life”

“Being a prison mouse is nought but hell and strife”

“Ah waz born and bred in Saughton ma daddy wiz a rat”

“He used to beat me badly but ell no go intae that”

With that he reached an pulled the fur back from his paw

There tattooed was a skull and crossbone’s I saw.

“Oh man that’s grim” I said. “You can come stay with me.

As long as you behave yourself I’ll not charge any fee”.

I made a wee pal in lockdown an saved him from myself

Now all that’s left is to protect him from everybody else!

(Untitled)

Please don’t let the Coronavirus get you down

Don’t let it give you a frown

Keep a smile on your face

But remember to avoid others personal space

Wash your hands as much as you can

Stick to the Government’s Hygiene Plan

It’s not ideal to be locked up all day

But any suggestions you have then just say

It’s all done to keep you well

Which unfortunately means us isolated in a cell

Collecting our dinners one by one

Is just the way it’s got to be done

Holding the mail back for 24 hours

To banish the viruses contamination powers

Everyone at the moments living in fear

We just have to stay safe while we are in here

We have to all stick together

And see this virus through this stormy weather

Please keep your hygiene tip top

And hopefully this virus will come to a halt and stop.

IN THE WIND

In the wind blows in time with everything else in

the wind blows in time with its self

Now here we are we are locked down tight its on our

minds all day all night. Yet dont despair we

will all be fine our freedom lies within our

minds yes memorys of those we love in

hours of time and time to come

Will we look back on what was done the souls

we lost the brave the strong

Our worlds now changed and some where

blessed there lives entwined with NHS

Now looking back in memory what did we learn from yesterday

In all the things we see and find did all our

hearts skip beats in time and

in the wind blows in time with everything

else in the wind blows in time with its self

So life in the wind it lives like we breath we

just need to learn to walk in the breeze

In The Wind

This Spell’s Trouble

(3 poems in 1)

C 3 1 C is for CONSUMMATE it mean’s perfect or complete

O 3 2 Look at all these victim’s who can’t get to there feet

R 3 1 O is for ORCHESTRATE a proficient plan all nice & neat

O 3 2 What can you do to win this or do you know you can’t compete

N 3 1 R is for RAPACIOUS it mean’s greedy or grasping

A 3 2 A way to keep hold of power forever lasting

V 3 1 O is for ORGANISM that leave’s human being’s grasping

I 3 2 I know it’s jail I live in so I watch the stone’s Im casting

R 3 1 N is for NEPOTISM it means you favour your relation’s

U 3 2 For Queen country under one sky but above all other nations

S 3 1 A is for ABDICATE but the throne’s worth these aggravation’s

3 2 Just a lowly subject no need for preservation’s

1 3 1 V is for VENTILATE it mean’s supply with fresh air

9 3 2 If you didn’t need oxygen would they know that you were there

3 1 I is for INDISCRIMINATE which means no order or no care

3 2 The game’s a rig a deadly jig trust me it’s not fair

3 1 R is for RESPERATION of human’s lying on there front’s

3 2 I bet no-one truly powerful die’s come on your not a dunce

3 1 U is for UBIQUITOUS it means everywhere at once

3 2 Poor like some atmousphere rich like some ambience

3 1 S is for SKULDUGGERY it is a form of deceptive trickery

3 2 Im not talking middle class I’m sayin the “one percents” my plee

3 1 1 is for ONE LIFE YOU HAVE this you must agree

3 2 Im talking lineage and your not on the family tree

3 1 9 is for HOW MANY LIFE’S you think you have but let’s wait and see!

Edinburgh Zoo’s

There are two zoos in Edinburgh didn’t you know

One quite famous, the other not so!

Both contain animals of different kinds

Publicity for some, and from public glare otherS kept blind

They both have fences and bars to keep us all in

With ones quite pleasant and others quite grim

One has daylight, with sunshine and rain, public exposure wandering all

Day in a nice green enclosure

The other a grey cell, with clanging doors shut, locked up with a

Stranger with no disclosure

One locked up, a family unit that the public adores

The other locked away for crimes of perception that society abhors

We are both prisoners of the new world order

One has a keeper, the other a warder

One welcomes the keepers at the start of the day

Cleaned out, fed and watered and stimulated all day

The other has warders who bang open doors and give out orders with grunts and roars

Locked up all day, their needs often ignored

The difference in treatment is clearly there to see with both

One has good care, and the other the public are taught to loath

One with a clear direction and the other sadly lacking

Corstorphine Hill, or Saughton Prison, understanding of both is sadly missing

Both contain animals, though not all beasts, endangered species

And men who hopefully can be released

One released by programmes to repopulate their native land

The other, back into society where for them normality is banned

A bright hope for one and recovery it seems

The other no hope, no future, no dreams

One to live in their own habitat, so wild and free

The other from intervention and registers never will be

Studies of one, no understanding of the other

Re-integrate both, or why bother

Endangered species or someone to blame

Our hopes and dreams are all the same

A bright future for both should be society’s shout

Protected, respected when we both get out

Free from the cages, free from the cells

Released back to where we are supposed to dwell

We both deserve freedom our torments to cease

Both back to our homes, we both deserve peace

Endangered species, I hear you all shout we are both the same, we

JUST WANT OUT!

Copyrite @FirstTimeInside

OCTOBER BULLETIN 2020

October: crisp leaves, vibrant colours, cosy scarves, pumpkin spice lattes…and another lockdown? This Autumn we may not be dressing up for a Halloween party, or going to the GFT to watch The Shining, or even enjoying a glass of wine in the evening sun with friends, but we, here at PGRN, are definitely taking advantage of having the time to get snug on the couch with a bowl of hot soup and a book from our Black History Month reading list (see below). It’s also national poetry month, so we have been taking the chance to source some Black women poets, including Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, Ariana Brown and of course, Maya Angelou. Head over to our twitter (@pgrnscotland) and instagram (@pgrnscot) to let us know which books and poetry by Black women and non-binary folks you have been delving into this month, we’d love to hear!

With the days getting shorter and the nights becoming darker, it is more important than ever to look after ourselves during the pandemic and to ensure that we don’t end up spending every limited hour of daylight staring at computer screens. Take a walk through your local park and rejoice in the crunch of the leaves underfoot; grab a morning coffee with a friend you haven’t been able to see so much before you start your day’s work; if you have time, cook some hearty curries and stews to keep your belly and soul happy. If you’re finding things a bit difficult, you’re not alone! We have provided below some resources for those of you who are in need of a helping hand to keep your mental health in check. 

 GENDERING 2020 CONFERENCE UPDATE

After months of deliberating and waiting in vain for the pandemic to calm down, we at PGRNS are excited to FINALLY announce that we will be taking our Gendering 2020 conference online! Although the conference may look quite different to our original vision, our motivation remains the same: to provide an environment where gender researchers can come together to share their thoughts and findings, and to connect and support each other, particularly during a time where researchers are even more isolated than they usually are. And so, with our original vision in mind, we will be hosting the conference on zoom in early February of next year (exact date tbc). As such, the new deadline for abstracts will be January 11th 2021 (you will be notified of its acceptance/rejection by January 18th 2021), so please, get in touch and send us your abstracts of 500 words (approx.), to pgrnscot@gmail.com, or DM us on twitter (@pgrnscotland) with any questions. We can’t wait to read them!

What we’ve been reading for Black History Month…

  • ‘Queenie’, Candice Carty-Williams
  • ‘An American Marriage’, Tayari Jones
  • ‘The Underground Railroad’ and ‘The Nickel Boys’, Colson Whitehead
  • ‘Blonde Roots’, Bernardine Evaristo 
  • ‘Sister Outsider’, Audre Lorde 
  • ‘Sana Sana’, Ariana Brown
  • ‘Still I Rise’, Maya Angelou
  • ‘The Colour Purple’, Alice Walker 
  • ‘Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women White Feminists Forgot’, Mikki Kendall
  • Youtube link for a video on ‘The Ethics of Biosocial Science’:

 Mental Health Help

  • The Scottish Association for Mental Health (samh.org.uk) 
  • Support In Mind Scotland (supportinmindscotland.org.uk) 
  • The app ‘MoodMission’ for learning coping skills
  • The app ‘Headspace’ for help with mindfulness and meditation
  • Fearne Cotton’s ‘Happy Place’ podcast

PGRNS Resources

If you haven’t already, head over to our website to have a read of our October newsletter where we share even more resources for Black History Month, as well as calls for papers, job vacancies and online events. We also have our most recent blog posts, one written by Gina, who questions her place in the current conversation about trans activism vs gender critics which you can read here, and the second written by Iona Tytler (@ionatytler_) who discusses the need for studying gender history, which you can read here. Let us know your thoughts in the blog comments below!

We wish you a colourful, cosy and creative Autumn before the Winter period descends; take care of yourself and your loved ones, and we look forward to reading any abstracts for our conference!

With the warmest wishes,

Gina Gwenffrewi, Huzan Bharucha, Carlotta Moro, Karyn Mabon, Robyn Harris, Anna McEwan, Laura Shaw and Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff

PGRNS Organising Committee

August Bulletin

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How is it August already? We hope that wherever you are – whether that’s enjoying some much needed annual leave, boosting up that word count, reading existing literature, or even just taking baby steps to put thoughts to paper – you’re doing okay and staying safe. 

Join Us! 

You might have heard that we are looking for extra muscle for the upcoming 2020-21 year! As we move into our 5th year we are looking for new Committee Members! If you think you’d be interested in gaining some leadership experience, organising a conference, and facilitating a platform for gender researchers to connect then drop us a line. There is more information on our blog here. The closing date for applications is 15th August 2020. 

Gendering 2020 Update

We are keeping track of guidelines and restrictions so we can make our postponed 4th annual conference Gendering 2020 as safe as possible. We were hoping to have more information regarding hosting conferences at The University of Glasgow and we are waiting to see if we can go ahead in Autumn 2020. Conferences occurring in-person provide long-lasting connections and supportive environments that we strive to support. We very much want to host an in-person conference opposed to a virtual event for participants to get a ‘true’ conference experience so we are still holding out for this option. 

We have been delighted with the interest we have received and have loved reading through the abstracts. We will do our best to update applicants at the beginning of September as soon as we know more. 

Until then, we continue to accept abstracts for the conference on a rolling basis.
Find our Call For Papers with more information on Gendering 2020 here 

What We’ve Been Up To Lately at PGRNS
Have you checked out our August Newsletter? Each month we give you a freshly squeezed rundown of upcoming gender-related events, jobs, workshops and more.

Ross Cameron shared a lovely blog with us, ‘Gendering Anglo-American Travel to the Balkans’ which discusses women’s travel writing in the Balkans at the turn of the twentieth century. 

Keep in touch with us! 

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Blog 

Take care, 

Emilia Belknap, Huzan Bharucha, Sophie Duncan-Shepherd, Anna McEwan, Laura Shaw and Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff
PGRNS Organising Committee

Call for New Committee Members 2020-21

PGRNS Committee Member

CALL FOR NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The Postgraduate Gender Research Network of Scotland 2020

As the PGRNS is moving into its 5th year we would like to invite new members to join the committee. We have been overwhelmed by the fascinating work being done by postgraduates in gender across Scotland and we continue to facilitate a platform for gender researchers to connect and exchange ideas across disciplines and institutions.

That’s why we need YOU to join the committee! We need some extra muscle to help move the network forward by helping us see our 4th annual conference, Gendering 2020 come to fruition. While we have received funding from various sponsors, we had to postpone Gendering 2020 to this upcoming fall due to COVID-19. Not only would new committee members gain conference organising experience but they would be able to help lead the network and develop new ideas and events.

Committee Member Responsibilities: 

  • Running the email on a weekly rotation
  • Running the social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) on a weekly rotation by posting relevant news, funding and job opportunities, CfPs and events to our followers
  • Organising relevant blog posts on a monthly rotation. This can also mean delegating the blog post to a friend or fellow academic who is interested in writing about gender
  • Writing the newsletter and bulletin on a monthly rotation
  • Organising a workshop and/or a conference

Being a committee member will provide you with crucial experience for your academic CV:

  • Running a research network, organising a workshop and/or a conference, managing social media accounts and running a blog

And just as important; it gives you a unique opportunity to meet some extraordinary PGR students across Scotland to network and to form research collaborations and friendships.

If you are interested please apply by emailing us at pgrnscot@gmail.com with: 

  • Your Name
  • Institution
  • Discipline/Area of study
  • A few lines about why you would like to join the committee

 

We are expecting new members to join the committee on the 1st of September with an introduction meeting in late August. We will be updating applicants on the outcome of their application late August.

Deadline for applications: 15th August 2020