Call for Papers

The Deadline to submit abstracts and sessions has passed!

Final (and updated) Call for Papers

First European Bisexual Research Conference (EuroBiReCon): Bisexuality and (Inter)National Research Frontiers

EuroBiReCon is a conference for anyone with an interest in contributing to, or finding out about, current work on bisexuality.

The conference aims to bring together academics, professionals, activists, and bisexual communities. It builds on BiReCons held in the UK every two years organised by BiUK (www.biuk.org) – see the BiUK website for information about past BiReCons. This year it will take place on Thursday 28 July 2016 at the University of Amsterdam* which will be followed by a three day community organised event (www.eurobicon.org).

We proudly announce that Prof. Surya Monro (University of Huddersfield) will be the keynote speaker at the EuroBiReCon. She has written multiple books on sexual diversity including Gender politics: Activism, citizenship and sexual diversity (2005) and Sexuality, Equality and Diversity (2012 with Diana Richardson). Her book Bisexuality: Identities, Politics, and Theories is published in the summer of 2015.

Our second keynote speaker is Dr Alex Iantaffi (University of Minnesota). Alex is, amongst others, editor-in-chief of Sexual and Relationship Therapy and has written multiple articles on bisexual identities, sexual-explicit media use of MSM and bisexuals and (white) privilege.

We welcome papers from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines including social sciences, health sciences, arts and humanities, therapeutic practitioners, activists and others. We encourage contributions from postgraduate students, early career academics and more senior academics from Europe and beyond.

We invite papers and workshop sessions that include but are not limited to the following:
• Bisexuality, wellbeing and health (including mental health and sexual health).
• The implications of bisexual identities and labels.
• Bisexuality, space and communities.
• Bisexual people
• Bisexual people’s access to, and experiences of, health and other services.
• Inclusion and erasure of bisexual people in politics and activism.
• Representations of bisexuality in media, culture, and literature.
• Intersections with other aspects of experience such as physical disability, age, race/ethnicity, nationality, gender (both trans- and cis-gender), sexual practices, religion, education and social class.
• Bisexuality and relationship styles (e.g. monogamies, polyamory, swinging, open couples and non-monogamies).
• The role of technologies in bisexuality and forming bisexual spaces and communities
• Methods for researching bisexuality
• Public engagement in bisexuality research.

During the day there will be opportunities to:
• Find out about issues affecting bisexual people.
• Hear from experts about cutting-edge research on bisexuality.
• Discuss ways in which organisations can better work with, and for, bisexual people, drawing on good practice.
• Take part in workshops on specific issues.

If you would like to present at EuroBiReCon, please provide a 250 word abstract and a brief biography (max. 100 words), by 26th February 2016 to Emiel Maliepaard (e.maliepaard1@gmail.com) and Dr Caroline Walters (carolinejwalters@gmail.com).
If you are interested in facilitating a workshop, roundtable, or panel discussion at BiReCon, which can include data gathering for current projects or research, then please email Emiel Maliepaard (e.maliepaard1@gmail.com) and Dr Caroline Walters (carolinejwalters@gmail.com) with a brief description of your proposed session by 22 January 2016.

Language: For logistical reasons, the conference’s common language will be English, and abstracts must be submitted in English. If you wish, you can send us your abstract in another language, provided that you also submit it in English. It is highly recommended that presentations during the conference are in English. However, we are exploring possibilities to use translators to provide space to people who would like to present in their mother tongue.

Funding: EuroBiCon and EuroBiReCon are community organisations so unfortunately there are no funds for presenters or travel expenses. However, EuroBiReCon will provide an excellent opportunity to network with others working in the field, to share good practice, and there will be spaces available to conduct research which fits within the ethos of the event.

Last, but not least, we aim to publish the conference proceedings in a special issue or as edited volume.

* Conference venue: Oudemanhuispoort 4-6 (in between Spui and Waterlooplein in the historical centre of Amsterdam).