NEWS What are the images of gender and sexuality in literature, artworks and media from the circumpolar North? Researchers from Sweden, Canada and France gathered to present on topics such as feminist photography from Sweden, ecofeminism in the North, gay pride and prejudice in graphic novels, gender theories and indigenous perspectives in the North, and much more.
"The symposium brought together researchers from different disciplines who all presented on a common theme. The breadth of perspectives highlighted by the participants is a strength when we explore images of gender and sexuality in different forms of expression", says Malin Isaksson, Associate Professor in French and Docent.
The symposium, entitled Imaginaries of Sex, Gender, and Sexualities in the Literary, Artistic, and Media Productions of the Circumpolar North, was organised by the Department of Language Studies together with the Université de Sherbrooke and the Université de Québec à Montréal.
"It's great that we have been able to initiate the co-operation between our three universities," says Malin Isaksson. "I'm looking forward to the anthology we will be compiling of the conference contributions."
Together with Daniel Chartier, who heads the Imaginaire Nord research lab, Malin has launched a project co-funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. With one foot in Montréal and the other in Umeå, the project Literature at the heart of diversity and equality will shed light on the diversity of expression in the cultures of the northern region. Everything from the translation and publication of indigenous literature to cultural and academic events is planned. The symposium in Umeå is one of these.
