French and Francophone Philosophers and the Development of LGBTQIA+ Movements in the 20th Century
Held during LGBTQ+ History Month, this international one-day conference, which took place on Saturday 7th February 2026, marked a proud and exciting moment for Aberystwyth University as it hosted this event for the first time. The conference explored the rich and enduring relationship between French and Francophone philosophy and the development of LGBTQIA+ movements throughout the twentieth century, celebrating both intellectual legacy and lived experience.
The groundbreaking work of thinkers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Monique Wittig, and Hélène Cixous has profoundly shaped contemporary understandings of gender, sexuality, embodiment, and power. Crossing
borders, disciplines, and generations, their ideas laid crucial foundations for feminist and queer theory and continue to inspire activists, artists, and scholars worldwide. The aim of this event was to bring together academic research, creative expression, and political engagement. In doing so, it highlighted not only the philosophical underpinnings of queer thought but also the ways in which theory interacts with activism, performance, and literature. By situating these discussions during LGBTQ+ History Month, the conference celebrated both the intellectual history and the ongoing struggles of queer communities worldwide.
| Talk: | Saunas and Public Bathhouses: Exploring their dual role as spaces of refuge and control within a Foucauldian perspective |
| Length: | 25′ |
| Abstract: | I proposed that spaces such as saunas and tea rooms could be interpreted through Foucault’s lens, especially in relation to their representations during the 1970s. At that time, they primarily functioned as refuges—enclosed spaces that offered temporary sanctuary from the violence of the public sphere. Today, I argue that our resistance has evolved into a deliberate appropriation. Therefore, I introduced the term ‘countertopia’ to define a spatial form rooted in an active opposition to control logics. Instead of merely coexisting with hegemonic space, it infiltrates it, reconfiguring its function in opposition to the norm. While heterotopias can be tolerated or even absorbed by the system, a countertopia carries an inherent risk: its survival depends on clandestinity, tactical re-appropriation, and the persistence of everyday resistance practices. Recognising these spaces as countertopias ultimately made visible their role as insurgent spatialities that denied, rewrote, and sabotaged architectures of social control. |
| Dates: | 7 Feb 2026 |
Acceptance Letter_Aberystwyth
