The Chevalier d’Eon and his Worlds:
Gender, Espionage and Politics in the Eighteenth Century
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The Chevalier d’Eon and his Worlds: Gender, Espionage and Politics in the Eighteenth Century A transdisciplinary conference, organised by AHRC Centre for Cultural Analysis, Theory and History in conjunction with the Brotherton Library, the School of History and the School of Modern Languages and Culture at the University of Leeds. 20-22 April 2006, University of Leeds, UK. Keynote Speakers: Anna Clark, University of Minnesota; Gary Kates, Pomona College; Alexandre Stroev, Université de Bretagne Occidentale The celebrated cross-dressing diplomat the Chevalier d’Eon is best known for his unprecedented transformation into a woman. However, recent work has emphasised that he was also an important political figure, writer and secret agent. Until recently, interest in d’Eon centred almost exclusively on his gender transformation, which was generally viewed through a Freudian lense. However, in 1995 Gary Kates suggested an alternative interpretation. Drawing particularly on a collection of d’Eon papers in the Brotherton Library in Leeds, Kates suggested that d’Eon’s gender change had little to do with sexuality and everything to do with politics. It occurred at a time when d’Eon was marginalised politically, troubled by debts, and had powerful enemies, some of whom sought to kill or kidnap him. Kates’s study also explored the implications of d’Eon’s gender change and the ease with which he manipulated contemporary perceptions of himself. This multi-layered analysis offered new insights into eighteenth-century perceptions of gender; early feminist literature; d’Eon’s use of the media to reinvent himself; d’Eon’s political links, both in France and British radical circles; factional conspiracy and espionage in Louis XV’s France; and London’s Grub Street and French exile communities. A decade after the appearance of Kates’s work, this conference provides a forum for re-examining his interpretation, as well as d’Eon and the fascinating milieux in which he operated. Other speakers at the conference include: Stephen Brogan, Simon Burrows, Elisabeth Chaussin, Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, Jonathan G.W. Conlin, Simon Davies, Rachel Hammersley, James Lander, Francine-Dominique Liechtenhan, Valerie Mainz, Anne-Marie Mercier-Faivre, Marilyn Morris, Julie Peakman, Christine Rolland, Chris Sheppard, Donald Spinelli, Hilary Wright. The conference fee is £60. Concessionary rates of £35 are available for students and Leeds University staff. Day rates are also available. For further details and conference registration can be found on http://www.leeds.ac.uk/cath/ or on the Beaumont site - See the links at the top of this page. For further information you can also contact Josine Opmeer at the address below. Get the registration form in (doc format) here Josine Opmeer Centre Coordinator AHRC CentreCATH, University of Leeds Old Mining Building 2.08 LEEDS, LS2 9JT, UK Tel: +44 (0)113 343 1629 Fax: +44 (0)113 343 1628 e-mail: ccaadm@leeds.ac.uk http://www.leeds.ac.uk/cath/ See the Programme |