Spatial movements are often associated with changes in preferences, norms and practices. These changes often involve the most intimate spheres, both through selective adaptation of native sexual subcultures and through experimentation with new opportunities and constraints.
There is nothing new in the interest for the transformation of intimate norms and practices during migration. A century ago, the Chicago School had already highlighted the role of spatial mobility in shaping changes in sexual norms and practices. Even Kinsey, in his pioneering work, duly stressed migration experiences as potentially significant for explaining sexual behavior.
Still, a sustained dialogue between sociologists of migration and sociologists of sexuality is largely missing. Scholars working in one of these fields often ignore substantial findings identified by the other. Only in recent years, a seminal stream of bridging literature has been slowly emerging. We are still, however, far from having an adequate understanding of the issue.
The session Migration and Sexuality will offer a venue for all social scientists doing empirical work on the connections between sexual behavior and migration experiences. Scholars from other disciplines – from anthropology to social history – are also welcomed. The ideal paper will deal with analytically well-defined changes in sexual life (broadly defined as changes in sexual identities, norms, networks of sociability, meaning, practices) brought about by migration. There is no preference for given specific methods or research techniques. Priority, however, will be given to papers having a solid empirical research focus.
The session will take place within the 3rd Forum of Sociology organized by the International Sociological Association. It is part of the program of Research Committee 31 Sociology of Migration. Information on the Forum and organizational details are available at http://www.isa-sociology.org/forum-2016/
The deadline for the submission of abstracts is September 30th, 2015. Abstracts must be submitted through the Forum website, https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/forum2016/cfp.cgi. All papers accepted will be notified by 30th November, 2015.
Session organizers
Martina Cvajner, Università di Trento, Italy, martina.cvajner@unitn.it
Giuseppe Sciortino, Università di Trento, Italy, giuseppe.sciortino@unitn.it
Kurdish Studies Network 