gynaecon

Proposed Panels

Here are the proposed panels/discussions so far, what would be great is for people to indicate which panels they would like to see go ahead, which two or three they think have the greatest appeal to the wider swancon community and would therefor be best to have on the main program, which you would prefer to see in a more protected space, those you would like to see as a formal panel and those you think would be best as a round table discussion with a nominated moderator.

It is probably polite for us to decide on which ones we would like on the main program before the 18th, which is when I believe Black_Samvara was planning to finalize for printing :)



Wheres the salad?
Why is the food on a spaceship so terrible? Why can't they grow hydroponic veggies? And why can't they eat off nice plates? Sure, it has to be institutional food, but do they always have to be rudely gobbling what looks like gruel off tin plates? Is it some kind of masculinisation of the space that they inhabit? I am interested in the way that science fiction presents living arrangements is by default masculine. What would a chick ship look like?

Being Neo--Western culture and individualist society.
Western culture seems very much focused on the idea of 'the one', an ideal where the individual can be anything if only they work hard enough. Many of our laws are focused on personal responsibility and liability. Even our governments attitude to the global problem of climate change (or the Howard government's at least) has been centered around individual action--how *you* can solve climate change by turning appliances off at the switch and using fluro light bulbs rather than looking at more effective public transport or reducing industry emissions.
Many of our popular story tropes reflect this with the lone hero, or characters seeking their 'one true love'.
This discussion will seek to look at the ways the individualist idea is reflected in fiction and popular culture and to examine alternatives--both in fiction and real life.

Preparing for Aussiecon.
It is a rare opportunity. One of the things I want to do is organise a performance of the Norma Hemming play - to go with the launch of her collected short stories and the first presentation of the award in her name.

Performing femininity in fandom
options and consequences. ie -what versions of feminity are available to women in fandom and how are people treated as a result.

Agreeing to disagree
not everyone thinks the same way about gender in SF fandom and fiction. Can we find common round; are we desperate to change each others minds; shall we agree to disagree or will we always be at odds?

Strong female characters in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse
Something I've been thinking about with both Dollhouse (and Joss Whedon in general) and "Altered Carbon" is the fetishisation of strong women: stories by men where to begin with you go "hey, nice strong female characters" but after a while you realise they (a)Actually don't have much agency and are very much controlled by the plot and male characters Important Emotional Arc (b)Are objectified and (c)Are all the same
But that's just off the top of my head.

the uses of rape, sexual assault and abuse in sf/f

race for the other- in the light of 'racefail'

Stephipenguin's panel that got eaten last year
 


Edit to add: Some late panel suggestions

History of gynaecon panel

ABA report by Fred_Mouse

Gender in New Who