Empires of Gender: Constructions of Gender in the Age of Imperialism

Constructions of gender are always historically specific and impacted by their relationship to narratives of race and class, as well as social anxieties and contemporary political and economic frameworks. During the time of the British Empire, constructions of masculinity and femininity were predicated as much on the cultural climate at home as on the confrontation with the racialized Other in the colonies.

This issue of Gender Forum will focus on constructions and representations of gender during Britain’s Imperial reign, as well as in its aftermath.

Possible topics can include:

• Constructions of English womanhood alongside and against constructions of female colonial subjects
• Constructions of Imperial masculinity alongside and against constructions of male colonial subjects
• Degeneration of masculinity: the colonizer abroad
• (Re)constructions and (re)writings of gender in former colonies

(Publication date: July 2013. Deadline for submissions is June 21st.)

Gender and Sexuality in Fairy Tales - Then and Now

Recently, Hollywood rediscovered the fairy tale and released two reworkings of the story of Snow White. This continued interest in the imagery of these tales is palpable around us every day, from the aggressive marketing of pink princess paraphernalia for little girls to the cultural trope of the evil stepmother. But how is gender conceptualized in these stories and how do these gender roles fit into our world today? What do they have to teach us about gender expressions and expectations, then and now, and how do these stories fit into our world today?

Topics may include:

• “Disneyfication” of girlhood
• Shrek, The Princess and The Frog, and other modern fairy tales
• Gender and sexuality in fairy tales
• Modern retellings of Grimm’s tales
• Fairytale tropes in culture (evil stepmother, Prince Charming, etc)

(Publication date: December 2013.)

Gender and Contemporary Film

Some movies offer us glimpses of an ideal or foreign world, others promise us the comfort of relatable characters and plotlines that can offer guidance for or just distraction from our own complicated lives. But what all movies have in common is the way in which their characterizations and storylines offers us insight into the ways in which we construct gender and sexuality. Both mainstream and independent movies, either by conforming to or challenging standard narratives, make plain the performative nature of gender. What can we learn from movies about our perceptions of gender? Are there any movies or characters that truly challenge accepted ideas of gender? Any particularly damaging ideas that occur repeatedly?

We invite papers on the following topics:

•       Men and Masculinity in Film
•       Women and Femininity in Film
•       Queer Sexualities in Film
•       Crossing Gender boundaries in Film
•       Heterosexuality/Heteronormativity in Film
•       Stereotypes/Clichés/Stock Characters
•       Representations of Motherhood and Parenting
•       Representations of Sexuality/Consent/Rape

(Publication date: March 2014)

Gender and Education

As a cultural construct that is largely solidified during the formative years, gender is interlinked extensively with education. Not only do gender and gendered expectations play a big role in education, from gender-stereotyping in class to pros and cons of single-sex vs co-education, but as the first social environment for children besides the immediate family, schools are also vital in shaping a child and young adult's gender identity.

In this issue of Gender Forum, we would like to examine the role that gender plays in education, and vice versa.

Topics for papers may include, but are not limited to:

• Gendered socialization in the classroom
• STEM subjects and gender
• Single-sex education/Co-education
• Peer interaction/peer pressure and gender identity formation
• Gender education/gendered education

(Publication date: June 2014.)

Target articles should conform to our style sheet and should not exceed 8,000 words. Please include a bio-blurb and an abstract of 10 to 15 lines. Use endnotes and fully documented references at the end of the article. Files should be sent as email attachments in Word format (doc, not docx). Please send your manuscripts to gender-forum"AT"uni-koeln.de.

We always welcome reviews! The reviewed text does not need to correspond to the issue topic, but we ask that only reviews on recent releases in Gender Studies/Queer Theory/Feminist Theory be submitted. In some cases, we may be able to secure a review copy for contributors.

We also would like to invite you to contribute to our common research goals as readers and contributors. Please inform us about your recent publications and ask your publisher to send review copies to Gender Forum. 

Please send queries, review suggestions or submissions to gender-forum"AT"uni-koeln.de