Faculty, staff, students and community members attended the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity’s ninth annual Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture presented by Dr. Amanda Lock Swarr on April 18, at the Alder Hall Commons Auditorium.
Dr. Swarr’s lecture titled “Racing the Boundaries of Gender and Sexuality: Rethinking Apartheid and Transitional South Africa,” examined the intersections of gender, sexuality and race. The topic was an extension from her 2012 book, “Sex in Transition: Remaking Gender and Race in South Africa.”
As associate professor in the UW Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, Dr. Swarr drew on 15 years of research in South Africa for the topic. She examined why some South Africans who define themselves as transsexual, gay and lesbian have been subjected to forced and botched sex reassignment procedures, legalized discrimination and community ostracism, while others have received state-funded medical treatment and legal support.
Sheila Edwards Lange, vice president for minority affairs and vice provost for diversity, offered opening remarks, along with Judith Howard, divisional dean of social sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to the lecture in Alder Hall, attendees enjoyed a reception with Dr. Swarr at the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center.
Inaugurated in 2005, this annual lecture is named in honor of the late Dr. Samuel E. Kelly, the first vice president for the UW Office of Minority Affairs. The series is dedicated to acknowledging the work of distinguished faculty research focusing on diversity and social justice.
