‘The Claddagh Embrace’ by Joe Caslin, reproduced with permission from the artist
Issues of gender and sexuality have assumed a central position in political, legal, economic, educational and cultural contexts, at both national and transnational level. The core mission of the Institute for Research on Genders and Sexualities is to bring together scholars working on gender and/or sexuality from different disciplinary backgrounds with a view to fostering new, collaborative synergies to respond to these urgent issues.
Our research includes – but is not limited to – gender and migration, political and social movements, gender and conflicts, pornography, violence against women and girls, misogyny and anti-feminism, digital intimacy, gendered disinformation, trans rights, bioethics, gender and AI, HIV, and relationships and sexuality education.
Image: ‘The Claddagh Embrace’ by Joe Caslin, reproduced with permission from the artist
Feminist mural by unlogiccrew, Madrid, photo reproduced with permission from the artists
The Institute for Research on Genders and Sexualities aligns itself with DCU’s mission to promote and protect Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). The mission states ‘Every member of the community has a right to contribute and flourish regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the traveller community.’ These ‘People First’ principles apply directly to the Institute’s members and internal dynamics. They also apply to our research mission, the organisations and individuals we collaborate with and the positive social impact we strive to achieve. IRGS supports only research that is aligned with principles of inclusivity and equality on the basis of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the traveller community. This includes the rights of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.
Image: Feminist mural by unlogiccrew, Madrid, photo reproduced with permission from the artists
Fake Science: Investigating the Role of Biological-Essentialist Pseudoscience in Far Right, Male Supremacist and Anti-Trans Disinformation Online
Caption
RI Postdoctoral Fellowship: Dr. Catherine Baker (PI), Prof. Debbie Ging (Mentor)
The past decade has seen a significant shift in the scale and reach of far-right disinformation across the digital sphere. Previously occupying fringe facets of the online media ecosystem, far-right disinformation has increasingly permeated into mainstream discourse, increasingly influencing the political landscape. This includes the targeting and demonisation of a range of minority groups, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals in addition to immigrants and people of colour. The proposed project brings together insights from digital media studies, right-wing studies, and gender studies, and uses sequential mixed qualitative methods to explore precisely how ‘fake science’ - including some academic work in the area of evolutionary psychology and lay theories of biological essentialism - is used by the far right.
