The Sibling Studies Colloquium

Sibling relationships are often life’s longest-lasting social ties. Over the duration of a lifetime, a sibling can move between being a friend, foe, parental figure, or stranger to their sisters or brothers. The fluid and paradoxical qualities of sibling bonds are further complicated by age, class, disability, gender, and race. The meanings and experiences of siblinghood change with context. Over the past three decades, this type of family relationship has attracted growing attention, from scholars across disciplines. These studies on siblingship have been used to better understand the past, as well as their implications for the present and the future. This scholarship is exciting and imperative. It provides a much-needed contribution to the field of family studies, which tends to focus on parent-child bonds. However, there are still many avenues for researchers to explore related to sibling networks. The Sibling Studies Colloquium encourages, inter alia, those working with anthropological, educational, historical, psychological, and sociological perspectives to communicate their insights on siblingship across their disciplines, so as to enter into conversation with other approaches. It seeks to facilitate a broad conversation and the sharing of ideas, which will open new perspectives and more rounded understandings of siblingship. The workshop’s discussion about different aspects of siblinghood, both past and present, seeks to enrich and nuance the wider field of sibling studies.

Sibling Studies programme (PDF , 645kb)

Speakers:

• Professor Cati Coe (Anthropology, Carleton University)
• Dr Katherine Davies (Sociology, University of Sheffield)
• Emre Deniz (Education and Psychology, University of York)
• Rachel Harley (Medieval Studies, University of York)
• Dr Nikita Hayden (Applied Psychology, University of Warwick)
• Dr Rachel Moss (History, University of Northampton)
• Professor Shawn Whiteman (Human Development and Family Studies, Utah State University).

Organised by Rachel Harley, University of York 

Free registration via Eventbrite.