ISHPSB-L Archives

October 2001

ISHPSB-L@LISTS.UMN.EDU

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show HTML Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
"Roberta L. Millstein" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Intl Soc for the Hist Phil and Soc St of Biol <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 3 Oct 2001 08:14:47 -0700
Content-Type:
multipart/alternative
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (9 kB) , text/html (11 kB)
In this email:

     1. Pembroke Center Postdoctoral Fellowships
     2. CSHPS Call for Papers
     3. History of Medicine position announcement

--------Message 1 of 3: Pembroke Center Postdoctoral Fellowships---------

Pembroke Center Postdoctoral Fellowships 2002-03 Theories of Embodiment

Anne Fausto-Sterling Senior Faculty Research Fellow, Pembroke Center;
Professor of Biology and Gender Studies

  In 2002-2003, the Pembroke Seminar will explore how biological
bodies become culturally expressive. Traditionally, the study of race
and gender has been subdivided into the study of biology, on the one
hand, and the study of culture, on the other. Thus, the
nature/nurture debate frames most discussions of the body, especially
with respect to gender and race. Indeed, until recently, feminist
scholarship has championed the dichotomy between sex (biology) and
gender (culture). But the body does not itself make such clear
distinctions. How can we frame the discussion of embodiment so that
biology and culture become one?

  How do children develop masculine and feminine characteristics? Why
do some become more physically active than others? Why do some become
skilled in particular cognitive tasks? Why do some develop strong
interests in relationships, while others become highly
object-oriented? Why do some become more physically aggressive while
others become more verbally aggressive? How and why do these
characteristics become associated with gender? How should feminist
theorists respond to studies that suggest that prenatal hormonal
exposures account for the early emergence of masculine and feminine
characteristics or to studies that suggest male to female
transsexuals have more female-like brain structures and female to
male transsexuals have more male-like brain structures? How should
feminist scholars respond to the use of such biological findings in
court decisions?

  Can feminist theory benefit from the new and expanding knowledge of
the plastic nature of brain cells, both during childhood and
adulthood? When new cultural images of the body become incorporated
into an individual's self-image, does the brain itself actually
change? Are there limits to cultural plasticity? Are there limits to
biological plasticity? How does the history of the body affect the
contemporary body? Why do men and women and people of varied racial
and ethnic backgrounds have different patterns of disease? Does
culture produce specific patterns of disease? Does biological
difference produce different patterns of disease? If culture and
biology produce disease patterns together, how do they do so?

  How do gender awareness and gender identity emerge? How does gender
become culturally specific? How do stable sexual identities and
desires form and when and why do they sometimes change over the life
cycle? How do gendered body images become incorporated into human
consciousness and why are body images at times extremely stable and
at other times quite changeable? How does racism affect early
development? Does the chronic stress of racism produce racially
weighted disease?

  Varied theoretical approaches to answering the above questions come
from the fields of cultural studies, phenomenology, feminist
psychodynamic theory, socialization theory, and developmental systems
theory. Developmental systems theory seems especially versatile. It
has been applied to diverse levels of organization: biologists use
the theory to study the emergence of order as an embryo develops from
a single cell into a complex organism; cognitive scientists apply
systems theory to the understanding of brain function; developmental
psychologists use systems theory to understand the emergence of
complex motor skills and basic cognition, and political theorists use
systems theory to study complex multinational behaviors. We are
interested in the applications it might have to the study of
embodiment.

  We seek applicants from all fields, but especially from cultural
studies, feminist social psychology, developmental psychology,
developmental biology, history of the body, anthropology, cognitive
psychology, and sexuality studies. As a group we will explore
theories that attempt to combine biology and culture in flexible and
imaginative ways. We are especially eager to find scholars who are
interested in applying developmental systems theory to the study of
the development of gender awareness, gender identity, forms of sexual
desire, brain and hormone development and the cultural and
historically specific expression of gendered or racialized traits. We
therefore welcome scholars who have a background in DST even if they
have not previously worked on gender or race; similarly we welcome
scholars from all fields who work on gender and/or race and who are
interested in pursuing theories that blend biological, sociological,
historical, or cultural approaches to the problem of embodiment.

  Post-Doctoral Fellowships Fellowships are open to scholars from all
disciplines. Recipients may not hold a tenured position in an
American college or university. Preference will be given to projects
in which there is significant scholarly and theoretical attention
given to the question of embodiment. This is a residential
fellowship. Fellows participate weekly in the Pembroke Seminar,
present two public papers during the year, and pursue individual
research. Brown University is an EEO/AA employer. The Center
particularly encourages third world and minority scholars to apply.

  The term of appointment is September 1, 2002-May 31, 2003. The
stipend is $30,000.

  For application forms contact Elizabeth Barboza. Phone: 401-863-2643. E-mail:
  [log in to unmask] The mailing address of the Center is
Box 1958, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912. The deadline for
applications is December 11, 2001. Selection will be announced in
February.

  Affiliation for Visiting Scholars Scholars with independent support
who are interested in the 2002-03 research topic and who wish to take
part in the Pembroke Seminar are invited to apply for affiliation
with the Center. For more information, contact Elizabeth Barboza (see
above for phone and addresses).

--------Message 2 of 3: CSHPS Call for Papers ---------

HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
CALL FOR PAPERS

The Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science (CSHPS) is
holding its annual conference at University of Toronto, 26-28 May
2002. The program committee invites historians, philosophers and
other scholars of the social sciences and humanities to submit paper,
panel or workshop proposals.

The proposals and papers may be in English or French, and should have
a title, a brief abstract of 150 to 250 words, and the complete
information for correspondence. Proposals must be received by 31
January 2002 and may be sent by e-mail, fax or post to one of the
members of the program committee.

We strongly encourage email submissions. Information about Congress
registration and accommodation can be found at the Humanities and
Social Sciences Federation of Canada web site.

Please note that the CSHPS meeting, which takes place as part of the
Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities, overlaps with the
meeting dates of a number of other societies, including the Canadian
Society for the History of Medicine (24-26 May), the Canadian
Philosophical Association May 25-28), the Canadian Society for the
History and Philosophy of Mathematics (May 24-26), and the Canadian
Historical Association (May 27-29).  The CSHPS program committee
welcomes suggestions for joint sessions with these and other
societies.

Programm Web Site :
http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r20430/schps_toronto_2002/
Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science:
http://www.ukings.ns.ca/cshps/
Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities: http://www.hssfc.ca/

Programme Committee :

Ernst HAMM
Science and Technology Studies
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto  ON  M3J 1P3 Canada
Email : [log in to unmask]

Alan  RICHARDSON
Department of Philosophy
University of British Columbia
1866 Main Mall E370
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1 Canada
Email : [log in to unmask]

Jean-François AUGER
Centre interuniversitaire de recherche
sur la science et la technologie
Université du Québec à Montréal
CP 8888, Succ. Centre-ville
Montréal (Québec) H3C 3P8 Canada
Courriel : [log in to unmask]

--------Message 3 of 3: History of Medicine position announcement ---------

History of Medicine

The Department of Social Studies of Medicine of McGill University
seeks an assistant professor in the history of medicine (tenure
track) in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The Department is
an interdisciplinary unit within the Faculty of Medicine and includes
historians, anthropologists and sociologists.  It places strong
emphasis on research and graduate supervision, but is also
responsible for considerable teaching in the Faculties of Arts and
Medicine.  The successful candidate must have a Ph.D and publications
(an MD would be an additional asset) and must be able to function in
both the medical milieu and an interdisciplinary social science
environment.  We will consider all areas of research interest
compatible with the core strengths of the Department in comparative
medical systems and medical knowledge in the 20th century.
Curriculum vitae and three letters of reference should be sent by
December 31,2001, to Faculty Search Committee; Department of Social
Studies of Medicine; McGill University; 3655 Sir-William-Osler
Street; Montreal, P.Q. H3G 1Y6; Canada. In accordance with Canadian
immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens
and permanent residents of Canada. McGill University is committed to
equal opportunity in employment.

--------End of messages---------
--
Professor Roberta L. Millstein
Listserv Moderator, International Society for
History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology
<http://www.phil.vt.edu/ISHPSSB/>

Snail mail:
Department of Philosophy
California State University, Hayward
25800 Carlos Bee Blvd.
Hayward, CA 94542

Email: <[log in to unmask]>
Phone: 510-885-3546
Fax:   510-885-2123
Home page: <http://www.isis.csuhayward.edu/alss/alss/phil/rmillste/>

ATOM RSS1 RSS2