Note: the event will be held in Serbian and French (simultaneous translation provided).

Welcome and opening remarks: the cultural attaché of the French Embassy Catherine Faudry

Participants: Éric Fassin (sociologist, Université Paris-8, France) /Phia Ménard (performer and director)
Moderator: Selena Radović (sociologist, Université Paris-8, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade)

The debate “Sexual Democracy” is held within the framework of the project “What is gender?”, which is jointly implemented by the French Institute in Belgrade and domestic institutions and organizations (primarily the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory, Faculty of Media and Communications, RTS Third Program of Radio Belgrade, organization XY Spectrum and publishing house Akademska knjiga). The objective of this project is to bring together, above all, renowned experts and researchers from various professions from Serbia and France, as well as from the region, but also activists, around the question of gender, in order to bring theory, practice and live personal experiences in constructive and playful dialogue. The intention is to present the issues of sexual and gender identity, as well as gender equality, to the general public in an accessible, interesting and interactive way, but also, to propose policy measures that would make society more socially just, not only in terms of respect for the rights and freedoms of sexual and gender minorities united under the acronym LGBTIQ+, but also in the context of the re-actualization of women’s rights issues, constantly threatened in various contexts across entire Europe.

The second panel in the cycle focuses on the issue of sexual democracy and the problems that arise in the field of democratization of sexuality. The concept of sexual democracy (Fassin, 2005), defined as the extension of democratic logic to the issues related to gender and sexuality, is proving to be a powerful tool for understanding of the contemporary transformations towards sexuality. Changes in politics in modern societies which introduce requirements for equality, carry democratization, but a living reality poses a question “is everything social, historical, political – or is there still at least one (sexual) domain that is truly, essentially natural, escaping history and politics (Fassin, 2011)? Starting from the concepts of liberty and equality – the foundation of political struggles for the extention of democracy – the accent in this debate will be on the democratization of sexuality, as one aspect of the transformation of sexuality, on the relations which are formed in that process, and on the challenges that are facing the demands for democratization in the field of sexuality.

Eric Fassin is a professor of sociology in the Political Science Department and co-chair of the Gender Studies, Department at Paris 8 University. He is a founding member of the new Laboratoire d’études de genre et de sexualité – Research Center on Gender and Sexuality Studies (LEGS, CNRS / Paris 8 / Paris 10). He taught in the United States from 1987 to 1994 at Brandeis University and New York University, and at the École normale supérieure in Paris from 1994 to 2012. His work focuses on contemporary sexual and racial politics, including immigration issues, in France, in Europe, and in the United States – often in a comparative perspective. He is frequently involved in the French public debates on issues his work addresses – from “gay marriage” and gender parity, to the politics and policies of immigration and race, as well as the evolution of the left.

Phia Menard is a French juggler, performer, choreographer and director. She studied with the juggling master Jérôme Thomas, then joined his company as a performer in several creations until 2003. With her solo “Ascenseur, fantasmagorie pour élever les gens et les fardeaux” (“Elevator, phantasmagoria to elevate people and burdens”), created in 2001, she has become known as an author. In 2008, her artistic career took a new direction with the project “I.C.E.” – ”Injonglabilité Complémentaire des Eléments” (Complementary Injunctibility of Elements), whose object is the study of the imaginary of transformation and erosion through natural materials. In 2014, she was promoted to the rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by Minister of Culture and Communication, Aurélie Filippetti. She is supported for her singular approach, and her works have been presented almost all over the world.

Selena Radović is a PhD candidate at the University Paris-8, France (Pratiques et théories du sens – Laboratoire d’études du genre et de la sexualité), and a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. She is also a research assistant at the Institute for Sociological Research in Belgrade within the project Challenges of New Social Integration in Serbia: Concepts and Actors and a member of the GenLab of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory in Belgrade. As a holder of the French Embassy Scholarship in 2018, she was on a professional specialization in Paris through a program of gender studies at the Institute Genre, Travail, Mobilités (Centre de Recherches Sociologiques et Politiques de Paris).She is currently completing a PhD thesis in joint supervision at the University of Paris (supervisor Eric Fassin) and the University of Belgrade (Vladimir Vuletić) on the topic of transformation of sexuality in contemporary societies in Serbia and France, as a scholarship holder of the French Government.