A one-day symposium at York St John in collaboration with SexGen North.About this Event
SexGen North is a new network for scholars working in gender studies and related fields in Northern England.
In the UK (and the US as well as elsewhere) freedom of speech is being weaponised in the academy in ways that effectively curtail those who speak truth to power and challenge injustice. In this symposium, we will explore these developments as they relate to two important areas for gender scholarship: transgender rights and Palestinian liberation. We will examine the direction of travel over recent years, important artefacts such as the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 and the UK Supreme Court judgment on the meaning of 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010, and the experiences of those involved in social movements. We will ask critical questions about what it means to be feminist educators in such a context, and how critical scholars in the academy might navigate this challenging new context and support our students with it.
SexGen North network LinkedIn
About the Speakers
Prof. Esther McIntosh is Professor of Feminist Theology and Ethics, York St John University. She researches concepts and issues of gender justice, publishing on trans inclusion, populism, social media, and Palestinian solidarity.
Dr Khawla Badwan is Reader in Applied Linguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, with expertise in language for social justice struggles, intercultural communication, language education, and literacy debates. Some of her publications include Language in a Globalised World: Social Justice Perspectives on Mobility and Contact (Palgrave, 2021). She is co-editor of Global Migration and Diversity of Educational Experiences in the Global South and North (Routledge, 2023), Critical Perspectives on Teaching in the Multilingual University (Routledge, 2024), and Language, Place, and the Body in Childhood Literacies (Routledge,2025). Her current work includes Still Gaza: Language in Times of Unspeakability (under contract with Cambridge University Press).
Dr Ala Sirriyeh is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Lancaster University. Her research is about migration, particularly youth migration, refugees and emotions. She currently holds a British Academy Mid Career Fellowship for a project titled Britain's Child Migrants: Nation and Connected Migrations.
Events Access & Inclusivity
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Parking
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Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech within the law and academic freedom are core principles of our University and underpin our mission to foster intellectual curiosity, rigorous debate, and the pursuit of knowledge. Our staff / students / SU colleagues are entitled to express their ideas and views, providing they do not violate the law. The law rightly prohibits speech that incites violence, terrorism and hate, but does not prohibit speech that others may find upsetting or offensive.
As a University that embodies social justice, we expect people to treat each other with dignity and respect, but it is not our role to censor ways of thinking or stifle debate between those who hold opposing views.
We understand that it can be frustrating to face views and perspectives that do not reflect our inclusive ethos at York St John University. However, we will not take disciplinary action against staff or students for lawful expression of their views, regardless of petitions, media campaigns or other external pressures.
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Event Venue
Creative Centre, York St John University, York, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
