On Monday, September 22, at the Centre for Youth Studies the 4th methodological seminar "SocUP" has been held, organized jointly with the Scientific Educational Group - "Social research body."
В понедельник 22 сентября, в Центре молодежных исследований прошел очередной, 4-й методологический семинар «СоцUP», организованный совместно с Научно-Учебной группой «Социальные исследования тела».
This time its guests were scientists involved in physicality, sexuality and gender studies from the University of Vienna (Austria) - Maria Neufeld and Dr. Katharina Wiedlack, and also a graduate student at the University of Berlin Vera Akulova. Topic of the seminar was - Queer bodies and the construction of the 'Western' nation («Queer Bodies and the Construction of the 'Western" Nation »).
The main attention of lecturers was paid to how modern Western national projects include queer body, reinforcing the exclusion of other Others. Dr. Katharina Wiedlack explained that since the beginning of the millennium in Western countries the appeal to queer subjects from the state was mostly positive, there was rhetoric about the different life strategies and attitudes, rights and freedoms. And to date, queer bodies have become an element of flirting within the Western political conjuncture. However, the discursive recognition of queer subjects, not only removes the issues of homophobia in everyday life, but also enhances the power of hierarchies and differences, when the countries / cultures, recognizing the queer, labeled as civilized and progressive, and those that are not recognized as "backward".
The production of new types of cultural inequalities on the basis of inclusion or exclusion of queer bodies were in the focus of Maria Neufeld’s presentation. Neufeld talked on the example of Germany and how migrants from Turkey and the Middle East are beginning to be seen as carriers of homophobic culture that threatens to European values. Which in turn leads to an even greater stigma and problematization of migrants.
The full report of the research you may find here: