[spsp-members] CFP: Gametic Politics: Eggs, Sperm, and Gender/Sex in the 21st Century

[Richardson, Sarah S]

Dear colleagues,

We are very pleased to share the following call for papers and would be grateful if you would share it with any early-career researchers who may be interested. If you'd like to post it on your social media, here's a sample post. The full CFP can be found below.

-- Short post for social media --
Call for Papers!
Gametic Politics: Eggs, Sperm, and Gender/Sex in the 21st Century
A Workshop for Early-Career Researchers organized by Rene Almeling and Sarah Richardson
April 16-17, 2026
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Details and application form here: https://www.renealmeling.com/gametic-politics.html<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.renealmeling.com_gametic-2Dpolitics.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=IUK-_-gzczn4B345Ehz3ChfR1sSeBiMBhCFVQwdANZk&m=klEyIlw6dHzuclRTeV7Lu_veMU1s0QAJOhsaAoVky8GtEN-tXpO_OjKeiGwdRDwD&s=ZLpkw9yOjrDyP2sODeM3TRfx8HQtcumjGzy361ePtrE&e=>

---Full CFP---
Call for Papers...

Gametic Politics: Eggs, Sperm, and Gender/Sex in the 21st Century

A Workshop for Early-Career Researchers organized by Rene Almeling (Yale) and Sarah Richardson (Harvard), to be held April 16-17, 2026 at Yale University in New Haven, CT

Inspired by rapidly emerging developments in the science and politics of fertility and by the rise of gametocentric definitions of sex, as well as a decades-long tradition of gender scholarship about gametes in relation to sex, race, sexuality, and health, we invite contributions to a workshop for early-career researchers in the social sciences and humanities who are developing the next generation of scholarship about eggs and sperm. Our aim is to provide mentorship for further development of works-in-progress, either in the form of dissertation chapters or publishable articles.

We invite proposals from early-career researchers – e.g. graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, assistant professors – in the social sciences and humanities as well as interdisciplinary scholars in the health and life sciences who are studying any aspect of eggs and sperm. We are especially interested in creative and innovative theoretical and/or methodological approaches, and we intend for the topic of “gametic politics” to be understood broadly. Potential topics might include (but are definitely not limited to):

-analyses of how gametes have figured into historical and contemporary definitions of sex;
-the politicization of gametes across multiple domains, such as medicine, education, sports, and law;
-the intersection of gametic politics with myriad forms of inequality, such as those associated with gender, race, class, and sexuality;
-how various scientific approaches to gametes are mobilized in political discourse;
-individual experiences of and beliefs about gametes, including in relation to one’s gender identity;
-the emergence of gametic metaphors and their implications for science and society.

Timeline. Applications are due December 1, 2025. To apply for the workshop, early-career researchers (e.g. graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, assistant professors) should fill out this google form, which asks for contact information, a CV, an abstract (200 words), and a draft manuscript (3,000-4,000 words). Manuscripts may be co-authored, but all authors must be early-career researchers.

Decisions will be made by January 10, 2026. We plan to invite 10-15 applicants to a fully-funded two-day workshop to be held April 16-17, 2025 at Yale University in New Haven, CT. A full draft of the manuscript (7,000-9,000 words) will be due March 15 and will be circulated to all workshop participants. Each participant will be expected to read all drafts, and we will spend the in-person workshop discussing drafts and providing feedback for further development.

Workshop organizers will provide mentorship toward the development of manuscripts for submission for publication. In addition, some workshopped manuscripts may be considered for publication in a special issue of an academic journal, in which case final drafts will be due July 1, 2026.

If you have any questions or if you are unsure whether your paper fits the call, you are welcome to send a brief inquiry to rene.almeling at yale.edu<mailto:rene.almeling at yale.edu> and srichard at fas.harvard.edu<mailto:srichard at fas.harvard.edu>with the subject line: Gametic Politics Inquiry. Please include an abstract of your proposed paper (150-250 words), including your research question and methods.

Application form for the Gametic Politics Workshop: https://forms.gle/7tji42U196sWwr1FA<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__forms.gle_7tji42U196sWwr1FA&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=IUK-_-gzczn4B345Ehz3ChfR1sSeBiMBhCFVQwdANZk&m=klEyIlw6dHzuclRTeV7Lu_veMU1s0QAJOhsaAoVky8GtEN-tXpO_OjKeiGwdRDwD&s=pmacYVxJfYvPY6oriLynQDJ7-RKaB5FqNscdhYFdKI8&e=>

Rene Almeling
Professor of Sociology, Public Health, History of Medicine, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Yale University

Sarah S. Richardson
Aramont Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
Harvard University



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