Education Studies, University of Warwick – Book Launch/Webinar Invitation

Gender, Definitional Politics and ‘Live’ Knowledge Production: Contesting Concepts at Conferences (Routledge, 2020)

by Emily F. Henderson

16^th July 2020, 10:00-12:00 UK time (GMT+1), on Teams (here)

You are cordially invited to the book/launch webinar.

About the book: Gender, Definitional Politics and ‘Live’ Knowledge Production

Waking up to the reactivity of concepts, to their myriad possibilities for signification, to the range and strength of affective responses they provoke, can happen at any time, in any place. Conceptual contestations shake up the comfortably consolidated foundations of sociological knowledge production, but they also have consequences for the ways in which lives are understood, researched and legislated for. This book is dedicated to exploring the definitional politics which surround the concept of gender in ‘live’ knowledge production. While conferences remain an under-researched phenomenon, this volume places conference knowledge production under the spotlight; conferences, in particular national women’s studies association conferences in the UK, the US and India, are explored as sites where definitional politics play out. The cumulative theorisation of ‘live’ conceptual knowledge production that is developed throughout the book draws on established constructs such as performativity, citationality, intersectionality, materiality and events, but works with them in combination in a new, unique way. The book as a whole calls for more attention to be paid to conceptual knowledge production, so as to make more space for potentially transformative conceptual change.

Dr Olympia Palikara has contributed as co-author to the briefing guidance for education professionals published by the British Psychological Society about meeting the needs of children during transition back to school following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the resource here https://www.bps.org.uk/coronavirus-resources/public/back-to-school

The leader of the Association of School and College Leaders has suggested that the earliest that schools could reopen following lockdown is 1 June. Dr Michael Wyness from the University of Warwick Centre for Education Studies has commented on how feasible this is and some of the factors that schools will have to consider when reopening to pupils.

Full article 

While Covid-19 and the current lockdown has major implications for all families, it poses particular challenges for young carers and their families, explains Dr Michael Wyness from the University of Warwick’s Centre for Education Studies.

Full article

Jinjue, one of our MA Psychology and Education students, has started a four week's ambulance volunteering as part of the St. John Ambulance.

She says "“As you may be aware, St John Ambulance is currently working very closely with the NHS to provide any support available at this critical moment with the pandemic. As a St John volunteer, we are offered the option to volunteer for the SJA response to COVID-19, and I have signed up to support the NHS. I will do my best to stay safe in the frontline, and hope everyone does their bit to stay safe as well!"

Well done Jinjue. It is really heartwarming to hear how our community is helping the NHS during this time.