SINGLEHOOD & COMPANIONSHIP
Singlehood and Companionship: Challenges and Opportunities for New Frameworks
Monday 27th July 12:00 - 13:30 CET
Wednesday 29th July 12:00 - 13:30 CET
Saturday 1 August 12:00 - 13:30 CET
The increased number of singles has invoked public discussions worldwide. Geopolitical, economic, and socio-cultural contexts influence the ways singlehood are perceived and experienced. 'Singlehood and Companionship: Challenges and Opportunities for New Frameworks' brings participants from different backgrounds to engage in in-depth reflections and to share thoughts and explore the various positionalities and intersectional contributing factors that may render the experience of singlehood as an empowering or a discriminatory one.
It also reflects on how a better understanding of singlehood opens up possibilities to new visions of companionship, solidarity and forms of sharing one’s life. Besides romantic and sexual partnerships, participants are encouraged to identify types of companionships that may be life-defining but remain invisible and widely unrecognised. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the existing literature and to encourage thought beyond normative structures of companionships, towards more equal and sustainable futures of social connections.
Join one of or all three discussions on pre-assigned texts around singlehood, held via Zoom during the week of July 27th and August 1st. Academic readings will be shared upon registration. For registration, inquiries and more information, please contact nsu.singlehood@gmail.com
Looking forward to having you onboard!
The reading group is coordinated in collaboration with The Research Network of Singlehood Studies https://singlehoodstudies.net/
​
Suggested readings:
1. Lahad, Kinneret (2017) A Table for One: A Critical Readings of Singlehood, Gender and time. Chapter 1. Introduction.
2. Roseneil, Sasha (2005) Living and loving beyond the boundaries of the heteronorm: Personal relationships in the 21st century.
Families in society: Boundaries and relationships. 241–258. (PDF).
3. Kok Wai Benny Lim, Sum-Sheung Samson Tang (2018) Queering singlehood in mainland China. (movie: Inside the Chinese Closet).