Being out in the comparative and international education field

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Special Interest Group (SOGIE SIG) was established in 2017 to advance and institutionalize the sub-field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) and SOGIE studies within the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). The purpose of the SIG is to encourage and enhance research, teaching and other professional activities related to the intersection of LGBTI/SOGIE issues and education. In the first business meeting of the SOGIE SIG (March 2018), masters and doctoral students raised concerns about the implications of being out in our field. They expressed interest in hearing from more experienced scholars and practitioners on how to navigate our professional context as a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT, e.g. in the context of doing field work in hostile environments and while on the job market). This discussion motivated the development of this session proposal.

Social identity shapes and affects the extent to which individuals can be fully engaged members of their professional community. This includes communities that are dedicated to knowledge production and communities that are focused on translating knowledge into practice (e.g., aid agencies). England (1994) in her seminal work on reflexivity and positionality in feminist research reminds us that all scholarship embodies a shared space that involves and is shaped by the researcher(s) and their participants. Therefore, the identities of the scholar and those being studied impact the research process from what and how questions are asked, research designs are developed, and how findings are interpreted (Bourke, 2014). In fact, Kezar (2002) notes that “within positionality theory, it is acknowledged that people have multiple overlapping identities. Thus, people make meaning from various aspects of their identity” (p. 96).

For this session, we have invited five LGBT members of our Society to discuss their experiences in the field. The panel features a diverse range of speakers, across genders, race and ethnicity, and national origin. The panelists are also situated in different settings, such as academic institutions, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. The session will include a moderated reflection around personal experiences in the field, followed by questions & answers from the audience.

List of invited panelists in alphabetic order:
• Manuel Cardoso, Education Specialist at UNICEF ([email protected]).
• Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Professor of International and Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University ([email protected]). Professor Steiner-Khamsi is past president of CIES (2009).
• Joseph Kosciw, Chief Research & Strategy Officer at GLSEN ([email protected]).
• Hilary Landorf, Associate Professor and Director of Global Learning Initiatives, Florida International University ([email protected]). Professor Landorf is the Executive Director of CIES.
• Lance McCready, Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership, Adult and Higher Education at the University of Toronto ([email protected]).

References
Bourke, B. (2014). Positionality: Reflecting on the research process. The Qualitative Report, 19(33): 1-9.
England, K. 1994. “Getting Personal: Reflexivity, Positionality, and Feminist Research.” The Professional Geographer 46(1): 80-89.
Kezar, A. (2002). Reconstructing static images of leadership: An application of positionality theory. Journal of Leadership Studies, 8(3): 94-109.

Sub Unit

• SIG: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE)

Chairs

• Naomi A Moland, New York University

• Oren Pizmony-Levy, Teachers College, Columbia University

Discussants

• Manuel E Cardoso, UNICEF / Teachers College, Columbia University

• Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Joseph Kosciw, GLSEN

• Hilary Landorf, Florida International University

• Lance T. McCready, University of Toronto