Fifteenth Berkshire Conference on the History of Women
Friday, June 10, 2011
Report by Leisa Meyer
Leisa Meyer, Chair; Participants: Evelyn Blackwood, Nan Alamilla Boyd, Matt Richardson, Leila J. Rupp, Susan Stryker, Ruth Vanita, Martha Vicinus
The “Lesbian Generations” Roundtable was framed by a series of questions posed to all participants, which focused on the definitions and meanings of “lesbian” as an identity, experience, and idea historically and transnationally. Continue reading
Fifteenth Berkshire Conference on the History of Women
Friday, June 10, 2011
Report by Chad Heap
I had the pleasure of commenting on the session, “Race, Sexuality, Gender and the Body in Early-Twentieth-Century American Culture.” Matthew Guterl (Indiana University, Bloomington) chaired the session. Kathleen B. Casey (University of Rochester) presented a paper, entitled, “‘She Is What She Ain’t’: Lillyn Brown and the Meaning of Black Male Impersonation”; and Cookie Woolner (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) delivered a paper on “Gertrude ‘Ma’ Rainey’s ‘Prove It on Me Blues’ and the Dialectics of Queer Popular Culture.” Continue reading
Fifteenth Berkshire Conference on the History of Women
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Report by Marc Stein
Approximately sixty people attended this session, which focused on the ongoing relevance and usefulness of the category “lesbian” in historical scholarship on women. Continue reading