Having been conceptualized in various ways over time, Gender can be broadly defined as the set of continuously evolving associations, attitudes, and practices attributed by human social groups to individuals based on their sexualized bodies. In this sense, Gender implies a praxis that claims and sustains a division of bodies through reference to pre-established norms within a given socio-cultural context. These norms are expressed through institutions, practices, and discourses originating and diffusing from various points (Butler 1990 ). Thus, it is impossible to consider gender without accounting for the discourses produced by different powers. Indeed, the very principles underpinning the distinction between sex and gender are socially constructed and, therefore, subject to change. Simultaneously, the conceptualization of gender as a social construct, linked to concepts such as discursivity and/or performance, has substantial implications in various aspects, influencing the way contemporary and/or past societies are studied. Religious institutions, representations, and practices can be perceived, both diachronically and synchronically, as a complex apparatus of discourses that at times justify and at times are justified by socio-cultural practices. In this sense, religions, in their multifaceted and far-reaching dimensions, constitute significant mechanisms for the creation and (re)production of gendered ideas.
Organizing Committee
Guilherme Borges Pires (CHAM)
Isabel Gomes de Almeida (CHAM)
Isabel Araújo Branco (CHAM)
Organization
CHAM / NOVA FCSH
