Dis/continuity in the representation of gender in names across languages (Part 1)

Part one of a two-part recording of an online research symposium held on Friday 22nd September 2023, 13.00 – 17.00. It was organised by Dr Jane Pilcher (Nottingham Trent University, UK) and Dr Ivona Barešová (Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic) on behalf of the People’s Names Research Network. This online research symposium aims to advance the present state of knowledge about contemporary gender-related personal naming practices especially in contexts, observed in many countries, of recent shifts around gender equality and in conceptualizations of gender as non-binary. The symposium brings together scholars who are examining gender and given names across a range of languages and cultures in Europe (Spanish, Bulgarian, Icelandic, Czech and German) and Asia (Japanese and Mandarin Chinese). Contributors incorporate the latest findings about current preferences for expressing gender in names, identifying historical shifts, regional and cultural specifics, and their interactions with more general trends in gender relations and identities. Research Symposium Programme 13.00 – 13.05 Welcome Jane Pilcher Nottingham Trent University, UK & Ivona Barešová Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic 13.05 – 13.25 Paper Session 1 Chair: Ivona Barešová Carmen Fernández Juncal University of Salamanca, Spain. Gender distinction in European Spanish anthroponyms 13.25 – 13.45 Paper Session 2 Anna-Maria Balbach University of Muenster, Germany. Given Names and Gender: An Initial Comparison between Germany and Other European Countries 13.45 – 14.05 Paper Session 3 Maya Vlahova-Angelova Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria. Gender-Neutral Names – A Boundary Phenomenon in the Bulgarian Anthroponomasticon 14.05 – 14.15 10 min Q & A. Chair: Ivona Barešová 14.15 - 14.25 10 mins break 10 mins break 10 mins break 14.25 - 14.45 Paper Session 4 Agata Michnowska, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland. Gender-neutral given names in Iceland 14.45 - 15.05 Paper Session 5 Žaneta Dvořáková, Pavel Štěpán Czech Academy of Sciences. Gender-neutral names and transgender people in Czechia 15.05 – 15.15 10 min Q & A Chair: Giancarla Unser-Schutz 15.15 - 15.25 10 mins break 10 mins break 15.25 – 15.45 Paper Session 6 Ivona Barešová, Tereza Nakaya Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. Gender-neutral names of the youngest Japanese generation: Characteristics of their phonological and graphic forms 15.45 – 16.05 Paper Session 7 Giancarla Unser-Schutz. Rissho University, Japan The role of baby-naming guides in the (re)creation of gender in names: A case study of a popular Japanese guide 16.05- 16.25 Paper Session 8 Pei-Ci Li, University of Lorraine, France Marc Allassonnière-Tang National Museum of Natural History, France. Gender-specific and neutral naming practice in Mandarin Chinese: A synchronic and diachronic view 16.25 - 16.35 10 min Q & A Chair: Anna-Maria Balbach 16.35- 16.55 Open discussion Chair: Jane Pilcher 16.55-17.00 Closing remarks Jane Pilcher Nottingham Trent University, UK & Ivona Barešová Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic