The Seminars
Seminar 1: Abject embodiment: Uneven targets of fat discrimination
January 2010 at Durham University.
This seminar aimed to critically question the political, social, cultural and economic structures within which dominant approaches to fatness are embedded and to explore the multiple experiences of fatness according to social identities. Papers and discussion related to the differential discursive production of, and material experiences of, fat discrimination along the lines of class, race, gender, age, etc.
Seminar 2: Fat in the Clinic and Health at Every Size
May 2010 at Warwick University.
This seminar focused on Health At Every Size (HAES) and other non-discriminatory approaches to fatness within clinical spaces (including weight-loss surgery, dietetics, exercise interventions, etc). It was attended by practitioners and 'patients' and included reflective papers as well as academic papers.
Seminar 3: Experiencing and Celebrating Fatness
November 2010 at Stratford Library, London.
This seminar addressed the intersection between Fat Studies, HAES and fat activism. It explored individuals' experiences of activism, sites for intervention, and the possibilities for fat activism in relation to health.
Seminar 4: Researching Fat studies and HAES: Working with/as fat bodies
5th - 6th May 2011, Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (Elwin Room).
This seminar addressed the ethical and methodological issues involved in researching Fat Studies and Health at Every Size and explored possibilities for the engagement of public, activist, policy and practitioner communities in Fat Studies and HAES research.