Gender, Bodies & Technology: Performing the Human

Gender, Bodies and Technology (GBT) is an interdisciplinary initiative originating with the Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) Program at Virginia Tech that explores relationships between technology and gender, race, class and identity with particular attention paid to bodies as a site where these relationships can be investigated. Specific topics of interest include: feminist analysis of the use of technology in new and emerging representations of bodies, gender and race in the context of technological design and production, gender, race and sexuality in the context of SET (science, engineering and technology) education; and the gendered implications of technology in contexts ranging from classrooms to workplaces to the Internet. Launched in Spring 2007 out of a strategic planning session of the Women's and Gender Studies program, the initiative represents an interdisciplinary nexus of topics where the scholarly strengths of numerous faculty affiliated with WGS converge. Faculty, staff, and students from Women's Studies, Science and Technology Studies, Sociology, Theatre Arts, English, Education, Computer Science, and the School of Visual Arts compose the GBT planning group. In Spring 2012 the GBT initiative hosted a conference that attracted international participation from over 120 scholars in this burgeoning field of research. Please see Past Programs to view a conference program. Feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive and requests to strengthen and build a network of scholars in this area were strongly articulated. Scholars whose work relates to the Gender, Bodies and Technology nexus are encouraged to join our growing listserv. Please contact Sharon Elber at selber@vt.edu to be added to the listserv.