13. February 2025 with Prof’in Sigrid Schmitz (Humboldt University Berlin)

Title: NeuroGenderings: Approaches for a Sex/Gender informed Brain Research

Thursday, 13. February 2025
16:00–18:00
IMGWF Lecture Hall (Hörsaal)
Königstr. 42, 23552 Lübeck

The event venue is not wheelchair accessible.

Abstract:

The brain is increasingly conceived as an open biological system developing in mutual interchange with experiences (brain plasticity). Such embodying of the social contests the nature-nurture dichotomy as well as binary sex differences, and, instead, highlights the sex/gender development of brain-behaviour relations. In the transdisciplinary NeuroGenderings network, scholars from neurosciences, gender/queer and feminist science technology studies develop conceptual approaches to analyze the entangled biological, social and cultural variables that constitute sexed/gendered brains whilst acknowledging their diversity. In this talk, I will outline the bio-socio-cultural approaches of NeuroGenderings, discuss their potentials for a sex/gender informed brain research, but also highlight the challenges, when it comes to specify, select, and negotiate the operationalized variables for empirical research.The brain is increasingly conceived as an open biological system developing in mutual interchange with experiences (brain plasticity). Such embodying of the social contests the nature-nurture dichotomy as well as binary sex differences, and, instead, highlights the sex/gender development of brain-behaviour relations. In the transdisciplinary NeuroGenderings network, scholars from neurosciences, gender/queer and feminist science technology studies develop conceptual approaches to analyze the entangled biological, social and cultural variables that constitute sexed/gendered brains whilst acknowledging their diversity. In this talk, I will outline the bio-socio-cultural approaches of NeuroGenderings, discuss their potentials for a sex/gender informed brain research, but also highlight the challenges, when it comes to specify, select, and negotiate the operationalized variables for empirical research.

Sigrid Schmitz, Dr. habil. currently chairs the project Gendering MINT didaktisch-digital at the Center for transdisciplinary Gender Studies of Humboldt University Berlin, where she develops Open Educational Resources to transfer knowledge about gender aspects into STEM disciplines. With a PhD and a venia legendi in biology her research in Feminist Science Technology Studies focuses on gender & brain, ontemporary neurocultures, body discourses, and feminist epistemologies. As founding member of the international NeuroGenderings network she edited Gendered NeuroCultures. Feminist and Queer Perspectives on Current Brains Discourses (Zaglossus: Vienna, 2014, together with Grit Höppner). She held, amongst others, professorships for Gender Studies at the University of Vienna and for Gender and Science at the Humboldt-University of Berlin.

Online-attendance via Webex 

Meeting-Link: https://uni-luebeck.webex.com/uni-luebeck/j.php?MTID=m2be1957540b3c8997d5cab4e0ff794f6