VIETNAM 3rd International Congress on Gender, Sexuality, and Identity: VGSI-27

Call for papers/Topics

Topics of Interest for Submission include, but are Not Limited to:

1. Foundational Concepts 

These are the baseline terms and concepts required to understand the field. While they are distinct categories, they constantly interact to shape an individual's experience.

• Biological Sex: The anatomical, chromosomal, and hormonal characteristics used to assign sex at birth.

  • Chromosomal variations (XX, XY, XXY, etc.)

  • Hormonal profiles (estrogen, testosterone)

  • Primary and secondary sex characteristics

  • Intersex variations and medical discourses

• Gender Identity: An individual's deeply felt, internal sense of being male, female, a blend of both, or neither.

  • Cisgender and Transgender identities

  • Non-binary, genderqueer, and agender identities

  • Gender dysphoria and gender euphoria

• Gender Expression: The external presentation of one's gender through behavior, clothing, haircut, and voice.

  • Masculinity, femininity, and androgyny

  • Gender roles and societal expectations

  • Cross-dressing and drag performance

• Sexual Orientation: An enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions.

  • Monosexualities (Heterosexuality, Homosexuality)

  • Plurisexualities (Bisexuality, Pansexuality)

  • Asexuality and Aromanticism spectrums

  • The distinction between romantic attraction and sexual attraction

2. Theoretical Frameworks 

These academic lenses help explain how gender, sexuality, and identity are constructed and maintained by society.

• Social Constructionism vs. Essentialism: The debate over whether identity is culturally created or biologically predetermined.

• Queer Theory: A field of critical theory that challenges traditional binaries and the normalization of heterosexuality.

• Intersectionality: A framework (originating from Black feminist theory) examining how gender and sexuality overlap with race, class, ability, age, and geography.

• Performativity: The concept (pioneered by Judith Butler) that gender is not what one is, but rather a series of repetitive acts and behaviors.

• Feminist Theories: Analytical frameworks including Liberal, Radical, Marxist/Socialist, Intersectional, and Postcolonial feminism.

3. Societal Structures and Institutions

Identities do not exist in a vacuum; they are heavily influenced by—and influence—social institutions.

• The Family Unit: * Socialization of children into gender roles

  • Chosen families within LGBTQ+ communities

  • Same-sex marriage and parenting

• Healthcare and Medicine:

  • Gender-affirming care and medical transition

  • The pathologization vs. depathologization of identities

  • Biases in clinical research and treatment

• Law, Politics, and Policy:

  • Legal recognition of gender markers (including third-gender markers)

  • Anti-discrimination laws and human rights

  • Legislation surrounding reproductive rights

• Education and Language:

  • Gender dynamics in the classroom

  • The evolution of pronouns and gender-neutral language

  • Comprehensive sexuality education vs. abstinence-only models

• Media and Cultural Representation:

  • Tropes and stereotypes in film, television, and literature

  • The impact of digital spaces and social media on identity formation

  • The "male gaze" vs. queer perspectives in art

4. Power Dynamics, Norms, and Prejudices

This area explores how certain identities are structurally privileged while others are marginalized.

• Systemic Dominance:

  • Heteronormativity: The assumption that heterosexuality is the default or only natural orientation.

  • Cisnormativity: The assumption that everyone is cisgender.

  • Patriarchy: A social system in which men hold primary power.

• Forms of Marginalization and Prejudice:

  • Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia

  • Misogyny and transmisogyny (the intersection of transphobia and misogyny)

  • Internalized oppression (e.g., internalized homophobia)

5. History, Culture, and Global Perspectives

Gender and sexuality are not uniform across time or geography.

• Historical Movements:

  • The waves of feminism (First through Fourth waves)

  • The LGBTQ+ liberation movement (from the Stonewall riots to modern Pride)

  • The AIDS crisis and its political/cultural impact

• Cross-Cultural Identities:

  • Indigenous and traditional non-binary identities (e.g., Two-Spirit in Native American cultures, Hijra in South Asia, Muxe in Mexico)

  • The impact of Western colonialism on indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality

• Globalization: The export and adaptation of Western identity labels versus local, culturally specific understandings of self.

6. Psychological and Personal Dimensions

The internal, subjective experience of navigating identity.

• Identity Development Models: How individuals recognize, accept, and integrate their sexual and gender identities (e.g., the process of "coming out").

• Minority Stress Model: The psychological toll of chronic stress faced by stigmatized minority groups.

• The Mind-Body Relationship: Bodily autonomy, body image, and self-actualization