Call for papers for the conference -“Consent & Sexual Transactions,18th century to present”

There is a call for papers for the conference “Consent & Sexual Transactions” on November 2-3, 2026, at the University of Rennes 2.

This conference organized by the ANR ConSent research group aims to revisit the role of consent in sexual transactions beyond the sole case of prostitution. Shifting the focus away from theoretical debates on this issue, the purpose of this conference is to describe, document, and analyze the way consent and transactions intersect through historically situated sexual practices. It aims to contribute to a study “from below” of the norm of consent from the 18th century to the present day.

The call is open to researchers from all disciplines in the humanities and social sciences working in France, Europe, and beyond. Presentations (20 minutes), in French or English, should situate their subject in its specific historical context, regardless of the period and materials used (archives, publications, images, narratives, cinematographic works, testimonies, interviews, observations, etc.).

Axes: 1. Describing and understanding signs of consent in the context of transactional sex;

2. Transactional consent as an observational standpoint to analyze power relations;

3. Transactions, consent and sexual culture: a learning experience;

Proposals (500 words max.) should be sent by email by May 15, 2026, to the following addresses: romain.jaouen@sciencespo.fr and caroline.muller@univ-rennes2.fr. In addition to the proposal, a brief presentation of the authors is expected, limited to 100 words. 

Decisions on acceptance will be made before June 15, 2026.

Full information about the call can be found on this web-site (for the English version there is a downloadable PDF).