This stream is not thematically restricted and the Association encourages a broad and multi-disciplinary engagement with gender, sexuality and law. In addition, they specifically invite papers, panels and roundtables on the following two themes:

The Political Economy of sexuality and gender in legal scholarship

Canadian legal feminism has a strong tradition of examining the political economy of law's regulation of gender and sexuality. The productive and reproductive labour of women, the gendered and sexed dimensions of 'the worker', and the ideology of the market have all been themes intersecting with Canadian scholarship on law, gender and sexuality. The current crises in the banking and finance sectors are likely to dominate Canadian and transnational politics in the coming period, underscoring again the importance of political economy to legal scholarship and activism. A sharp global economic decline is likely to disproportionately impact upon poor and marginalized populations, and may have long-lasting social impacts.

At the same time, the current economic crises may also represent a weakening of the neo-liberal grip on western legal structures and consciousness. Invited are individual paper and panel proposals to consider the political economy dimensions of current feminist, queer, gay and lesbian scholarship on law.

The Association urges papers and panelists to approach this topic broadly and creatively to consider themes such as: narratives of crisis and economic fragility in legal consciousness, the intersection of identity and political economy in legal theory, the impact of economic crisis on law reform, the place of gender in the labour sector (where is Jill-the-teacher in the contest between Joe-the-plumber and Joe-the-hedge-fund-manager?), in what ways, if at all, might the financial crisis disrupt neo-liberal ideologies of the independent, self-regulating economic actor, and what might be the implications of this for law reform and activism on migration, citizenship, family law, and so on.

The Place of Identity in legal scholarship on gender and sexuality

The study of identity politics and law has made a significant impact on current understandings of law, legal regulation, activism and consciousness. But is social and legal theory on identity keeping pace with the legal, cultural and political dynamics around sexual, racial, religious or ethnic minorities? To what extent do recent debates within Canada on multiculturalism, diverse family forms, and religious clothing and expression, for example, challenge the ways in which group and individual rights claims are articulated and assessed? Are there other frameworks that better assist in articulating or representing these changes? Is there a need to go beyond, for example, 'intersectionality' in our approach to complex identity forms? How are conceptions of identity, and the role of law, changing in response to shifting global dynamics? How are national and international governing practices re/constituting the gendered and sexed dimensions of security, migration, employment, lawful, citizenship, national identity and belonging?

Paper abstracts, panel proposals, expressions of interest, and/or questions, should be sent to Doris Buss, Law Department, Carleton University, doris_buss@carleton.ca by January 18, 2009.

Doris Buss Associate Professor Law Department,Carleton University 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6 (613) 520 2600 ext 8011 (613) 520 4467 (fax) doris_buss@carleton.ca