The workshop aims to provide a platform for interdisciplinary discourse and critical reflections on the various dimensions of Sex Education, including its subjectivities, materialities, and differences. Sex Education is subject to ongoing heated and often morally charged social and political debates and an arena of the “Sexual Antinomies in Late Modernity” (Jackson/Scott 2004): It is often perceived either as instrument for indoctrination or as necessary tool for sexual autonomy. Beyond such moralizing discourses, the forthcoming workshop is interested in a perspective on sexuality as a cultural product of knowledge processes: We understand Sex Education (1) as a key cultural field in which knowledge about sexuality, and thus “sexuality” itself, is re-produced, and (2) in a broad sense: In addition to institutionalized educational programs (e. g. in schools or as offered by NGOs or sexual health programs), we include all phenomena that convey sexual knowledge in their self-understanding (including but not limited to areas such as tantra, sexual assistance, …), or that can be analyzed as ‘educational’ in a wider sense (such as literature, art, porn, social media, …).
Read the full Call for Papers here.
The workshop is organized by Tobias Boll, Miriam Brunnengräber, and Maik Wiesen.
The workshop is hosted by the collaborative research center Studies in Human Differentiation (funded by German Research Foundation) and co-funded by the Georg Forster Forum.
Click on the author names and presentation titles for more information. All times correspond to ECST.
Program changes (newest: September 20)
| Time | Authors | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Karin Gunnarsson | Fractious Engagements: Exploring Student Participation in Sexuality Education |
| – presentation called off – | ((Judith Von der Heyde)) | ((Unlearning shame as an educational goal? Perspectives in the transformations of the (sex-)knowing body)) |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Paul M. Horntrich | How TED talks Porn: Knowledge about Sexuality and Pornography in TED and TEDx Talks |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Marion Thuswald | Talking about absent-present images? Aesthetics and differences in sex education material about pornography |
| 12:30 – 13:00 | Anna Hultman | Science and education or pure smut? The emergence of sexual education as a genre on the Swedish book market |
| – presentation called off – | ((Madita Oeming)) | ((From Porn Panic to Porn Literacy)) |
| 13:00 | Quick break | |
| followed by | Open Floor and Roundup Discussion | |
| followed by, latest at 14:00 | Goodbye Lunch |
The Foundation house is a newly built meeting place on the JGU campus that was opened in 2023. The modern and multifunctional building serves as an international guest house and seminar center on campus. The Stiftungshaus is located on Wittichweg and is directly connected to the streetcar line that links the campus with the city center. From the streetcar stop “Friedrich-von-Pfeiffer-Weg” (streetcar lines 51, 53, 59) it is only one minute to the event building. The seminar room is located on the ground floor and is accessible for wheelchair users.
The exact address of the Stiftungshaus is Johann-Friedrich-von-Pfeiffer-Weg 2, 55128 Mainz.
The workshop will take place in room 00 106 (ground floor, to the left after the entrance).
The opening keynote by Jack Halberstam and the evening reception on the first day of the conference will take place at the Hochschule für Musik (School of Music) on the JGU campus. The building is very close to the Stiftungshaus and only a few minutes’ walk away. For the keynote we have the opportunity to use the Red Hall, one of the schools’ central concert halls, which is located in the heart of the building. The evening reception on Thursday will take place in the courtyard, weather permitting. The rooms are also accessible for wheelchair users.
The exact address of the School of Music is Jakob-Welder-Weg 28, 55128 Mainz.
As organizers we are committed to providing an inclusive space for as many people as possible to join us and participate in the conference.
Due to limited seating space, we cannot welcome any more guests to the Workshop on site. However, we offer a streaming option via BigBlueButton. If you would like to view the conference remotely, please register via mail at SexEd24@uni-mainz.de.
We still welcome guests on site for the evening keynote by Jack Halberstam on Thursday, September 19, 6:30 pm at the “Red Hall” of the School of Music.
