Subject:

The idea for this junior lab arose from discussions among doctoral students working on sexual trajectories and practices, during which we collectively observed a twofold lack of spaces for us, as young researchers, to address these issues. On the one hand, students and doctoral candidates specializing in these issues have few opportunities in France to learn the theoretical frameworks needed to analyze sexualities. Despite the recent growth of gender and sexuality studies in France, the majority of the key texts that form the foundation of the field internationally have not been translated and therefore remain largely inaccessible, even to students in specialized programs (such as Master's degrees in gender studies). On the other hand, few academic spaces lend themselves to in-depth theoretical discussions on issues of sexuality.

The goal of the junior lab Penser les Sexualités (PenSex) is to analyze sexuality in practice—that is, bodily interactions, performed gestures, the various aspects of individual sexual repertoires, and the meaning attributed to them—and to discuss the methods and tools that enable us to objectively examine these practices. Which practices are categorized as sexual? How do the criteria for categorization vary across institutional and interactional contexts? What theoretical and methodological tools should we employ to understand these categorization processes? These reflections cannot proceed without a reflexive approach to the construction of the scientific categories of analysis that we use to understand sexuality.

To that extent, the category of sexuality also benefits from being studied in terms of how it is produced within other institutional fields, by related disciplines, as well as in non-academic spaces, such as activist circles. To what extent can sociology adopt concepts from these other fields? What epistemological precautions are necessary in this context? The aim will also be to trace, from a historiographical perspective, the development of feminist scholarship on sexual practices, as well as the debates that have shaped it.

While sexuality proves to be a prime arena for the manifestation of gender relations, numerous studies have shown that studying sexuality independently of the other social relations that structure individuals’ social positions—race, class, ableism, age, etc.—means overlooking a significant part of the categorization dynamics at work. It is therefore necessary to examine how sexuality can serve as a site for the (re)production of other social relations.

Laboratory Activities:

The laboratory’s activities center on organizing a seminar for young researchers. Two-hour sessions are held every two months, during which a guest young researcher gives an in-depth presentation of their work, followed by a group discussion. The sessions are held alternately at ENS de Lyon and at INED (Paris, Condorcet Campus), and are always available in a hybrid format.

Creation date:

September 2025

Closure date:

September 2027

Project leaders:

• Titouan FANTONI-DECAYEUX
• Léna PAMBOUTZOGLOU
• Clair MONOD