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In this symposium we bring together a diverse team of faculty and graduate students to discuss a range of contemporary issues related to non-European identities, genders and sexualities. To start, Robyn Attarain will complicate our understanding of the relationship between whiteness and the term ""Aryan"", by offering a historical foray into the etymology of the term and its complicated evolution from ancient Persia to contemporary white supremacy. Building on the complicated categories of race, Bella Ibrahim will share initial findings from her research on cis-heterosexual Egyptian-American women navigating sex and reproductive health.
Following this, Brittney Walker presents some preliminary research on the topic of Black American women and their pursuit of the perfect ""booty"". Focusing on Black American culture and drawing on social media, music videos, surgical practices and enhancing wardrobes, she asks - why do we obsess about butts so much? Moving on to migrant experiences, Sedef Ozoguz’s will focus on how sexual empowerment 'gets in the way' of liberation, by examining the lived experiences of two Turkish women living in the US. Finally, Cecilia Strand will take us abroad to discuss some findings from an ongoing research project on the Ugandan LGBTIQ+ community’s fight for human rights in an increasingly hostile environment, while navigating explicit and perceived donor pressures and preferences. The talks will be follow by brief comments from the moderator and the opportunity for in-depth Q&A.
Open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
Effective February 23, 2023, event guests and/or visitors to the New School are no longer required to provide proof of up-to-date vaccination or negative result from a PCR test and do not need to use the CLEAR app to present their vaccination status.
Wearing a mask is recommended but not required on campus.
Dr. Sedef Ozoguz is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Schools of Public Engagement at The New School. She completed her doctoral training at CUNY and has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of York and University College London. Her research focuses on freedoms denied and freedoms desired in relation to gender and sexuality in non-Western communities.
Cecilia Strand (PhD) is a visiting scholar from the Department for Informatics and Media, at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research interests span LGBTIQ+ activism in the Global South and in particular their digital media practices in repressive contexts, as well as development industry policy and practices when it comes to SOGIE rights.
Brittney Monique Walker is a narrative strategist with a background in journalism. She is currently a student at The New School for Social Research where her research interests include Black sexuality and romantic relationships, the intersectionality of sexuality and racism, policy, religion and culture.
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Dr. Sedef Ozoguz is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Schools of Public Engagement at The New School. She completed her doctoral training at CUNY and has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of York and University College London. Her research focuses on freedoms denied and freedoms desired in relation to gender and sexuality in non-Western communities. She has published on sexual and reproductive rights, sex education in the US and the impact of sexual empowerment discourses on immigrating women. She has been rewarded the Dissertation Fellowship and the Art Science Connect Award for her thesis on the liberation of women in Turkey, recognized for her contribution to both arts and sciences. Dr. Ozoguz is committed to public scholarship and has contributed to making gender and sexuality research accessible through her work at SexGenLab at Hunter College, as well as through her documentary, Wild Women of Anatolia, which focuses on women’s freedom dreams in Turkey. She is currently teaching Psychology courses at the New School and working on projects at the SexTechLab.
Cecilia Strand (PhD) is a visiting scholar from the Department for Informatics and Media, at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research interests span LGBTIQ+ activism in the Global South and in particular their digital media practices in repressive contexts, as well as development industry policy and practices when it comes to SOGIE rights. Her multi-disciplinary work draws broadly on the fields of digital media studies, activism, and development studies. Prior to returning to academia in 2010, she worked as a development practitioner spending eight years in three different Sub-Saharan African countries working primarily with HIV/AIDS mainstreaming and prevention campaigns.
Brittney Monique Walker is a narrative strategist with a background in journalism. She is currently a student at The New School for Social Research where her research interests include Black sexuality and romantic relationships, the intersectionality of sexuality and racism, policy, religion and culture. She has earned a B.A. in Journalism, a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Journalism and is currently pursuing her Masters in Liberal Studies. Brittney also works as a communications specialist and storyteller. The Black Narrative Experience is a recent project, an online collection of audio stories. She is a new beekeeper, loves hiking, eating and traveling. Check out more info here.
Bella Ibrahim is currently a Liberal Studies MA student working on the preliminary phase of her thesis, graduating Spring ‘24. Alongside her academic journey, she works in the creative marketing industry. Most recently, she was the marketing director at Kerning Cultures Network, an award-winning podcast network that features nuanced stories from the Middle East and North Africa. As an MA student, Bella’s research focuses on Egyptian American cis-hetero women and their access to information about reproductive and sexual health. Bella has also completed the Gender & Sexualities certificate and is currently a member of the SexTech lab.
Robyn Attarian is a BPATS alumni who is currently studying for her MA degree in psychology at The New School. She is one of the managers of The SexTech Lab and interested in exploring issues within social and cultural psychology through the lens of Anti-colonialism. Her research focuses on Persian diasporic identities with the US, using a multimodal approach (e.g., oral history interviews, archival materials, psychological measures). She's dedicated to bringing to life such nuanced experienced via documentary storytelling.
