Working Group for the Study of Critical Theory

          Marxist Sexualities 

      The Twenty-Second Annual Conference of the Marxist Reading Group

Keynote Speakers: Kathi Weeks and Holly Lewis

2019 saw the passing of Kevin Floyd, whose path-breaking work placed queer theory in direct conversation with Marxism. Dr. Floyd was a keynote for our 2013 conference, and in honor of his memory, the Marxist Reading Group at the University of Florida seeks to continue in the spirit of his vital work for our 2020 conference. Much in the vein of his 2009 book Reification of Desire, we are particularly interested in the various and multifaceted relationships between work, sexuality, and gender.

The MRG invites scholars of any discipline to clarify and explore broad applications of Marxism in conjunction with questions of sexuality, the sexed body, and material forms of body production (and destruction). What assumptions are made within the political sphere about “workers” and how might we productively reframe it? In what practical ways might an attenuated focus on sexual politics open Marxist praxis up to activists beyond the academy? In what ways might queer and feminist frameworks help us rethink what counts as “work”? And what are the political stakes involved in queering labor?

Non-theme papers that broadly address Marxist theory in any area are also welcome.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

• Production of the sexed body under late capitalism
• Sex work and issues facing sex workers
• The intersections of race and work
• Commodification of queerness, feminism, and/or social justice activism
• Pop culture representations
• Ecofeminism
• Queer/feminist/Marxist pedagogies
• Queerness and queer activism in rural areas
• The relationship between domestic and public spheres
• Neoliberal feminisms
• Labor on the margins, the gig economy, and evolution of work in the digital age
• Digital activism, #MeToo, and “cancel culture”
• Complications of “identity politics”
• Questions of masculinity, “toxic” and otherwise
• Queer internet studies and digital trans studies

Please submit an abstract of up to 250 words with 4-5 keywords for a 15-20 minute presentation,

along with contact information, to theufmrg@gmail.com by Friday 21 February 2020. We will also consider panel proposals, but do ask that panelists represent multiple institutions and provide a brief description and rationale along with the panelists’ abstracts. Please indicate any a/v requests, and let us know if you have participated in past MRG conferences or if you are a UF-MRG alumnus. Authors of accepted presentations will be notified by Friday 28 February 2020. For questions concerning the conference, please contact us at theufmrg@gmail.com. For more information, visit https://ufmrg.wordpress.com/.