In one of its older meanings, the word queer is a pejorative term for non-heterosexual persons (see Motschenbacher 2012: 87). In the course of struggles for recognition, the word has now become a frequently used self-designation, and it refers not only to sexuality, but also to the notion of gender identity in general (see Dietze, Yekani & Michaelis 2012: 3). Queerness as a concept both negotiated and contested in discourse does not refer to essential, fixed characteristics, but is continually constructed through language use in social and cultural contextualization, among other things. Examples are discourses on bi- erasure (see Stewart 2021) and Kink on Pride (see Abad-Santos. 2021). In this way, social power structures become visible. Queerness is often controversial in social and political discourses because queerness is understood as contradicting social norms. Marginalization associated with this can be intensified when several mechanisms of oppression interact intersectionally (see Junker & Roth 2018).
The concept of queerness and the associated use of the word queer are negotiated not least in the context of hegemonic discourses on heteronormativity, where questions of identification are raised, for example, regarding cis- and heterosexuality, non-binarity and trans. Discourse positions are sometimes fiercely contested and also evoke anti-queer attitudes and actions.
The online student conference addresses various spaces of discourse in (social) media and the offline world and discusses the social negotiation of queer and queerness. In this context, we also want to consider the form and effectiveness of anti-queer discourses, for example in hate speech or other forms of exclusion (see Scharloth 2017).
The ThemaTalkers are an open academic space of shared interest; we do not set topics. The following questions can be used for further thematic orientation, but they are not binding:
- How are queer identity constructs linguistically constructed? (see Motschenbacher 2011: 161)
- Who speaks in the social negotiation around queerness?
- How are queer and anti-queer positions negotiated in discursive spaces?
- Which discursive patterns and systematics of inclusion and exclusion can be identified in the construction of queerness?
- Which (linguistic) strategies and discursive mechanisms can be observed in public discourses on anti/queerness?
- How do media representations (e.g. in films, series, advertising, social media) change the perception and definition of queerness?
- How are social stereotypes around queerness and heteronormativity reproduced or challenged in current (media) discourses?
- Which linguistic means do queer communities use for self-empowerment?
- How can intersectionality and multiple marginalizations be researched in a profound and in-depth way?
The student conference is organized by the inter-university working group of the Thema- Talkers (U Bremen, Åbo Akademi and U Vienna) in cooperation with the U Bremen collaborative research platform Worlds of Contradiction (WOC) and the European Research Network on Discourses of Marginality and Demarginalization (DeMarg).
ThemaTalkers welcome applications from advanced undergraduate and graduate students and doctoral candidates in, among others, linguistics and other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, who would like to contribute to our hybrid conference with reference to the thematic priorities and questions mentioned above. Our conference lan- guages are German and English. We ask that you indicate the desired length of the presentation (either 15 or 30 minutes) when submitting your proposal, and that you also state the planned format of your presentation. In addition to traditional papers, essay-like contributions, academically informed field reports, short films or other forms of presentations are also conceivable, as long as they meet the usual standards of academic practice.
Applications should be submitted in the form of an abstract including name, details of university affiliation, title, duration, and format of the contribution, as well as a short text (approx. 200 words) and can be sent to themtalk@uni-bremen.de by 15 April 2025. Feedback will be provided by the beginning of May. Further information on ThemaTalkers and previous events can be found at: www.uni-bremen.de/thematalkers.
The ThemaTalkers
Hanna Acke | Emre Almaci | Anna Brandewiede | Marlene Haslinger-Fenzl | Jan Hensellek | Lara Herford | Linda Karpinski-Kröll | Annika Ravenschlag | Angelina Schellin | Susanne So- phie Schmalwieser | Dorothea Sichrovsky | Ingo H. Warnke
Hosts
Dr. Hanna Acke, Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Languages, Åbo Akademi
Lara Herford, Deutsche Sprachwissenschaft/Interdisziplinäre Linguistik, U Bremen
Prof. Dr. Ingo H. Warnke, Deutsche Sprachwissenschaft/Interdisziplinäre Linguistik, U Bremen