Nordic Research School in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies (Funded by NorFA/NordForsk: Nordic Academy for Advanced Study).

The School is a joint venture between NIKK (Nordic Institute for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, Oslo); Dept. of Gender Studies, Linköping University, Sweden, and 36 Gender Studies units at universities in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and North-West Russia.

Date: August 25-27, 2009
Deadline for application: June 24, 2009
Venue: Linköping University, Sweden

Teachers:

• Dr. Anne Brewster, University of Sydney, Australia
• Professor Anne-Jorunn Berg, Bodø University College, Norway
• Dr. Katarina Mattson, University of Uppsala, Sweden

Coordinator:

• Professor Nina Lykke, Dept. of Gender Studies, Linköping University. Director of the Research School.

Critical studies of whiteness: theories, methodologies and feminist perspectives

Critical approaches to whiteness have grown out of postcolonial and anti-racist studies. The purpose is to analyse constructions of racialized power differentials focussing not only on the racialized ‚other‘, but instead exposing the construction of the hegemonic, but ‚unmarked‘ normativity related to ‚whiteness‘. How is ‚whiteness‘ construed as the taken for granted norm and symbol of civilization, progress, beauty etc?

The course will give a presentation of feminist contributions to the debate, following the trajectories of feminist whiteness studies in different locations.
The US-context, which is very outspoken within the field – with classic feminist interventions such as Vron Ware: „Beyond the Pale. White Women, Racism and History“ (1991) and Ruth Frankenberg „The Social Construction of Whiteness. White Women, Race Matters“ (1993) – will be confronted with perspectives from the Nordic countries and Australia.

In addition to introductory theoretical and genealogical overviews, the course will give special attention to methodologies and analytical approaches.

Lectures and literature here

Grants

• 16 PhD students can be funded by NorFA/NordForsk.
• 4 more PhD students are welcome to participate on a self-paying basis.
• If the number of applicants, qualifying for the NorFA grants exceeds 16, a selection will be made to ensure a spread of nationalities, institutions and disciplines.

Applications
Applications (in English) should be mailed no later than June 24, 2009, to academic coordinator Mette Bryld: mbry#galnet.dk
See here for information on application.

Source: Genus@genus.gu.se