CARAS Webinar: Kink Studies: Update on the Development of the Field; Sunday, March 17, 2024
Kink Studies: Update on the Development of the Field
Presenters: Robert Bienvenu, Ph.D. and Katherine King, Psy.D.
Sunday, March 17, 2024, 10am-noon (US Pacific) / 11am-1:00pm (US Mountain) / noon-2:00pm (US Central) / 1-3:00 pm (US Eastern) / 5-7:00pm (London) / 6-8:00pm (Central European - Prague, Berlin, Stockholm); 2 hours.
Due to varying Daylight Savings Time adoption dates, please use 1:00pm/1300 (Eastern), New York City, as a reference to confirm your local start time.
To register for the webinar, please visit: https://forms.gle/mCwFJkZhuRZ3KP6W8
Attendees may earn 2 Continuing Education (CE) credits
Cost: Attendance is free for all CARAS subscribers.
Attendance with CE credit is free for CARAS Professional and Student subscribers, and $40 for others.
Attendance without CE credit for non-subscribers is $25
Pre-registration is required. Registration will close at 3pm (Pacific)/6pm (Eastern) on Saturday, March 16, 2024 Please register early!
Abstract
Cultural studies, gender studies, queer studies… kink studies? What if scholars in the area of kink/BDSM/leather could join together as a disciplinary specialty? What might this specialty look like?
This session extends and updates discussions started by CARAS in 2021 positing a new, multidisciplinary field of “Kink Studies.” We will discuss what it means to be an academic discipline, and attempt to define a framework for how Kink Studies may be conceptualized and institutionalized. We will examine what makes Kink Studies a unique area of study, and the many types of scholars and practitioners who might unite under its banner (e.g., sociology, psychology, history, philosophy, public health, medicine, visual and performing arts, literature, cultural and media studies, sex workers, and community activists).
We will explore different metrics for assessing the status of Kink Studies as an emerging field of study. We will explore its relationship to more established areas (e.g., LGBT scholarship), and examine institutional pathways and potential barriers to the development of the field of Kink Studies.
There is already institutional support and a multidisciplinary body of scholarly literature addressing sexualities that fall under the diverse rubrics of LGBTQI+. The creation and institutionalization of these areas of scholarship has been a multi-generational process, characterized by on-going struggles for scholarly credibility, creation of supporting organizations and institutions, activism challenging discrimination and for political rights, and access to funding to address health and other issues. However, the various sexual minority communities found within the broad LGBTQI+ umbrella, including kink/BDSM/leather, do not share the same level of recognition, scholarship, and institutional development. The development of Kink Studies would be part of a movement towards changing that.
Join us to engage in this discussion and envision the path forward to a future of enhanced health, human rights, and multidisciplinary scholarship supporting members of kink/BDSM/leather communities!
Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Define two attributes of a field of "Kink Studies" that are distinct from established LGBT scholarship.
Describe metrics appropriate for assessing the current status of Kink Studies as an emerging field of scholarship.
Identify two current institutional barriers impeding the development of a field of Kink Studies.
Presentation Content Level: Introductory - Intermediate. This webinar will provide an introduction to the topic but also provide an opportunity for discussion at a more advanced level that presupposes basic knowledge of alternative sexualities communities.
About the Presenters
Robert Bienvenu, Ph.D. is a sociologist, a co-founder of CARAS and is CARAS' Executive Director. Rob's research has focused on two areas: health, and the history and social organization of kink communities. He has worked in academic and administrative positions focused on research, regulatory affairs, academic program management, and bioethics. As a faculty member, Rob has taught graduate level courses on research methodology, research ethics, science and technology studies, regulatory affairs and clinical research, and social theory. Rob's current community roles include service on the Board of Directors of the Leather Archives and Museum, and the Selection Committee of the Leather Hall of Fame.
Katherine King, Psy.D., is a psychologist, Associate Professor, and geropsychology concentration director in the clinical psychology doctoral program at William James College. She is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Division 44 Committee on Consensual Non-Monogamy and has a psychotherapy practice helping people with concerns about aging, health, gender, sexuality, relationships, and trauma. Dr. King is a member of the CARAS Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Disclosures: There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this presentation.
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