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4th Conference of the International Association for the Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society (IASSCS) - "Sex and Secrecy"
International Association for the Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society (IASSCS)
October 22, 2002

Call for papers
The theme of the conference - 'Sex and Secrecy' - seeks to engage with pressing concerns emanating from the South African situation, while simultaneously resonating with and encouraging international scholarship in the field of sexuality.The conference aims to provide a forum for new ethnographic work and theoretical insights from a range of disciplines, and emerging from diverse social contexts.

Some of South Africa's most urgent social concerns relate to sexuality and secrecy. The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and the scale of gender-based violence, are two obvious examples. To what extent is the nature and scale of domestic violence hidden from public view? What distinctions between public and private realms are drawn by survivors, perpetuators and law enforcement agencies in responding to gender-based violence? What political interests are protected by the veils of secrecy around illness and death? To what extent are cultural norms violated when lifting the veil of secrecy? 'Secrecy' provides a new perspective from which to explore these and other issues.

There is a limited amount of work done in the field of sexuality research in an African context. The conference aims to give new impetus to this avenue of enquiry. Attitudes to homosexuality, silence surrounding domestic violence and the whisperings and coded references that accompany HIV/AIDS related deaths are suggestive of broader cultural norms that could be usefully understood in relation to 'secrecy'. How do male and female initiation rituals use secrecy to maintain cultural authority and power? To what extent can the recent re-emergence of 'invented traditions' in South Africa, such as public 'virginity testing' of young girls by older women be understood as an attempt to use traditional cultural practices to respond to contemporary crises. What is the role of confession and taboo in formal religious institutions and in the secular domain? What are the hidden codes, local rules and euphemisms used in negotiating sexual transactions?

Same-sex activity in many parts of Africa is almost invariably associated with tacit social acceptance (or imbued with ritual power) provided that codes of secrecy and discretion are respected. In what circumstances is same-sex sexuality accepted and at what point does it become transgressive? What accounts for this? How does discretion and silence compare with the imperative towards self-disclosure - 'coming out' - that characterizes contemporary gay and lesbian liberation movements? How is ritual power used to create and protect spaces of same-sex intimacy and desire?

An innovative way of thinking about sex in relation to the public/private sphere is through the lens of secrecy. Media attention given to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, public visibility of gay and lesbian cultures in the wake of legal equality and the increasing prominence of women in public life has meant that issues of gender and sexuality are at the forefront of public debates. Yet how does public discourse influence the private realm? Why have public safer-sex campaigns failed to change intimate behaviour patterns. How is HIV/AIDS presented in national public debate, in the media and public life? How do stigma and shame bolster denial and silence in the face of illness? What are the carnal and erotic politics of sexual fantasy, particularly in an African context?

Ultimately 'secrecy' speaks to a wide range of spheres: desire and death, risk and pleasure, the public and the private. These themes allow for a particular African imprint, while engaging with global concerns.

Conference sub-themes include:

• Hidden cultures of same-sex desires.
• Sexuality and language - euphemism, and coded-discourse.
• Sexual transgressions.
• Domestic violence.
• Strategies of silence, secrecy and denial in dealing with HIV/AIDS.
• The invisibility of HIV/AIDS in the public sphere. Gender-based violence.
• Sexual violence against children and the elderly.
• Risk, HIV/AIDS and masculinity.
• Health, ethics and disclosure.
• Sex and death.
• Masculinity and health.
• Sexuality and religion.
• Sexual transactions.
• Legal and public discourses of sex.

The issues outlined here have specific resonance in South Africa and Africa. We hope to use the conference to expand links and examine differences and similarities with other parts of the world. Contributions are invited on these themes globally.

Deadline for submission of abstracts
Abstracts for papers should be submitted to the conference by no later than Friday 29 November 2002.
Conference Office: P O Box 72147, Parkview, 2122, South Africa
Conference email: robbie.cameron@pixie.co.za

Acknowledgement of receipt of abstracts
Receipt of all abstract submissions will be acknowledged by email or in writing within a week of receipt at the conference office. A reference number will be allocated to each submission.

Abstract format
Abstracts should be:

• emailed or posted (on disc) to the conference office.
• typed in 12pt font in MS Word.
• no longer than 500 words
• formatted as follows

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