Curriculum Vitae

Ilana Eloit is Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality at the Institute of Gender Studies, Geneva School of Social Sciences, University of Geneva. Before joining the University of Geneva, she was lecturer (Première assistante) at the Center for Gender Studies of the University of Lausanne, and a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratoire d’Études de Genre et de Sexualité (LEGS) of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). She holds a PhD in Gender Studies from the London School of Economics, a BA (Social sciences and humanities) and MA (Public affairs) from Sciences Po Paris, and an MA in Gender studies from Paris 8 University.

Her interdisciplinary work brings together feminist, lesbian and queer theories with historical and cultural analysis of feminist and lesbian movements in France. In her research, she investigates the epistemic and historical conditions of production of feminist and LGBTQ political subjects, and explores “banished” histories from which to interrogate the conventional genealogies and blind spots of feminist history and theory. She pays particular attention to the controversies around the definition of the political subject of feminism, controversies on sexuality in the French Women’s liberation movement, and the epistemological dissonances between woman and lesbian subject-positions. Her PhD thesis, Lesbian Trouble: Feminism, Heterosexuality and the French Nation (1970-1981) was supervised by Clare Hemmings and examined by Judith Butler and Rahul Rao who awarded the doctorate with no corrections.

Her work has been published in journals like Yale French Studies, Feminist Theory, 20&21, Cahiers du genre, Le Temps des Médias and Métropolitiques. She has also contributed to the Dictionnaire des féministes: France, XVIIIe-XXIe siècle (ed. Christine Bard, Presses Universitaires de France, 2017) and to the Encyclopédie critique du genre (ed. Juliette Rennes, La Découverte, 2021). She edited with Hugo Bouvard and Mathias Quéré the book Lesbiennes, pédés, arrêtons de raser les murs. Luttes et débats des mouvements lesbiens et homosexuels (1970-1990) (La Dispute, 2023). She also edited with Mauro Cabral Grinspan, David Paternotte and Mieke Verloo the special issue “Varieties of TERFness”  in DiGeSt – Journal of diversity and gender studies (2023). With Clare Hemmings, she edited the special issue “Haunting Feminism: Encounters with Lesbian Ghosts” published in Feminist Theory in 2019. She has been the editor with Marta Segarra of the CNRS-led Dictionary of Gender in Translation.

RESEARCH FIELDS

• LGBTQ studies
• Feminist, lesbian and queer theories
• Sociology of feminist and LGBTQ+ movements
• Queer historiography and affect studies
• French republicanism and politics of difference (gender, sexuality, race, class)
• Politics of cultural translation in gender studies

EDUCATION

2014-2018, PhD, Gender Studies, London School of Economics and Political Science – LSE.  Thesis title: Lesbian Trouble: Feminism, Heterosexuality and the French Nation (1970–1981).  Supervisor: Clare Hemmings. Advisor: Sumi Madhok.Thesis examiners: Judith Butler (University of California, Berkeley) and Rahul Rao (School of Oriental and African Studies – SOAS). Awarded with no corrections (8 October 2018).

2007-2013, M.A. in Gender Studies, Paris 8 University. Master in Public Affairs, Sciences Po Paris. B.A. in the Social Sciences and Humanities, Sciences Po Paris.                                        

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS

Since 2022, Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality, Institute of Gender Studies, Geneva School of Social Sciences, University of Geneva.

Since 2021, Associate researcher, Laboratoire d’Études de Genre et de Sexualité – LEGS (research unit of the National Center for Scientific Research – CNRS, Paris).

2021-2022, Lecturer (Première assistante), Centre for Gender Studies – CEG, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lausanne.  

2020-2021, Chair of Queer Arts, Paris School of Fine Arts.

2019-2021, Postdoctoral researcher, LEGS (CNRS).

2019-2021, Lecturer (chargée de cours), Sciences Po Paris.

2020, Lecturer (chargée de cours), Paris 8 University, Department of Political Science.

2020, Lecturer (chargée de cours), Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

2016-2017, Postgraduate teaching assistant, London School of Economics, Department of Gender Studies.

ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Since 2022, Head of the Master program in Gender Studies. Geneva School of Social Sciences, University of Geneva.

2021-2022, Co-director of the Center for Gender Studies. Institute of Social Science, University of Lausanne.

2021-2022, Scientific coordinator of the Gender Studies International and Francophone Summer School – Brulau (University of Lausanne and Free University of Brussels).

2019-2021, Scientific coordinator of the CNRS-led International Research Network (IRN) “World Gender: Cultural and Political Translations of Gender and Gender Studies”.

Partner institutions of the IRN: Cornell University, Duke University, University of Barcelona, University of Hassan II Casablanca, University of Helsinki, University of Leeds, and LEGS.

ORGANIZATION OF CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND PUBLIC EVENTS

Conference “Monique Wittig: Twenty Years Later” (with William M. Burton, Carolina Topini and Agnès Vannouvong). University of California, Berkeley (17-18 March 2023) and University of Geneva (27-28 June 2023).

Conference “Traffic in Gender: Political Uses of Translation Within and Outside Academia” (with Éric Fassin and Marta Segarra), 12-14 April 2022. Laboratoire d’Études de Genre et de Sexualité – CNRS.

Panel “Produire les ‘bons’ et les ‘mauvais’ sujets féministes : théories, institutions, mouvements sociaux” (with Emmanuelle David-Sachet and Eléonore Lépinard), 6 July 2022. 16^ème congrès de l’Association française de science politique.

Public events series and monthly research seminar of the Centre for Gender Studies, 2021-2022. University of Lausanne (with Selima Kebaïli).

Symposium “Race et blanchité : penser la norme” (with Sébastien Chauvin, Selima Kebaïli, Eléonore Lépinard and Gaspard Rey), 8 September 2021. University of Lausanne.

Launch of the Dictionary of Gender in Translation, 18 June 2021. Laboratoire d’Études de Genre et de Sexualité – CNRS.

Public events with Bintou Dembélé, Christine Eyene, François Chaignaud and Rosi Braidotti (with Fabrice Bourlez), 2020-2021. Paris School of Fine Arts.

Monthly research seminar “Traduire le genre” (with Anne Emmanuelle Berger), 2019-2021. Laboratoire d’Études de Genre et de Sexualité – CNRS.

IRN “World Gender” research workshops, 6-8 November 2019. University of Barcelona.

Panel “Bad Subjects: The ‘other(s)’ of Feminist Theory and Mobilizations” (with Eléonore Lépinard), 8-10 June 2017. European Conference on Politics and Gender.

Panel “Practicing Decoloniality in Gender Studies”, 22 February 2017. London School of Economics.

Public events with Christine Delphy and Sylvie Tissot (“Feminism in Transnational Times: A Conversation with Christine Delphy” and screening of the documentary “Je ne suis pas féministe, mais…”), 8-10 February 2017. London School of Economics.

CONFERENCE/SEMINAR PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC TALKS (SELECTION)

“Féminisme, lesbianisme et mouvements queer : ruptures et continuités”, 27 November 2022. Public lecture, festival “Les fabuleuses”, Montpellier.

“‘Nous n’aurons pas une guerre des sexes’ : le féminisme et les discours sur l’amour hétérosexuel”, 25 November 2022. Research seminar “Les discours du sexe et de l’amour : politiques de l’intime” (Yasmina Foehr-Janssens and Agnès Vannouvong). University of Geneva.

“Les lesbiennes ne sont pas des femmes”, 6 November 2022. Public lecture, Universités du Mouvement HF, Lyon.

“French hetero-feminism and the erased history of Monique Wittig’s exile to the US”, 17 June 2022. 11^th European Feminist Research Conference. University of Milano – Bicocca.

“Translating the Untranslatable”, 12 April 2022. Conference “Traffic in Gender: Political Uses of Translation Within and Outside Academia”. Laboratoire d’Études de Genre et de Sexualité – CNRS.

“Faire de l’histoire avec les théories queer”, 19 November 2021. Gender CUSO workshop “Queer and LGBTQ+ Methods”. University of Lausanne.

“La théorie et l’épistémologie lesbiennes de Monique Wittig : pour une histoire critique du Mouvement de libération des femmes”, 7 October 2021. Research seminar “Wittig, sexualité & genre. Entre théorie et fiction” (Yasmina Foehr-Janssens and Agnès Vannouvong). University of Geneva.

“Untranslatability as a political tool: the Americanization of lesbianism in the French Women’s liberation movement”, 30 September 2021. Research seminar “Traduire le genre” (Anne E. Berger and Ilana Eloit). Laboratoire d’Études de Genre et de Sexualité – CNRS.

“Lesbians are not women: Feminism, Heterosexuality and French Universalism in the 1970s and 1980s”, 21 June 2021. 27^th International Conference of Europeanists, Council for European Studies.

“La contrainte à l’hétérosexualité”, 14 January 2021. Public lecture, Sciences Po Bordeaux.

“Minorités lesbiennes dans le féminisme : une histoire critique du Mouvement de libération des femmes”, 7 January 2021. Research seminar “Genre, sexualité, institutions : régulations et subjectivations” (Emmanuel Beaubatie and Michel Bozon). EHESS.

Respondent to Éric Fassin’s talk “Sexuality and Democracy: Exploring the Links”. 15 December 2020. SEXDEM, Sexuality and Democracy Project. Kone Foundation.

“Trouble dans le féminisme : le Mouvement de libération des femmes au prisme de la (non) politisation du lesbianisme”, 2 April 2020. Research seminar “Genre et recherche” (Réjane Sénac). Sciences Po Paris.

“Les festins d’Ilana”, invited by the Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir to curate and introduce a public screening of feminist video archives, 2 February 2020. Cinéma Le Luminor Hôtel de Ville, Paris.

“French hetero-feminism and Monique Wittig’s exile to the US in the 1970s”, 11 October 2019. Conference “Drafting Monique Wittig”. Yale University.

“Les lesbiennes ne sont pas des femmes”, 4 July 2019. Public lecture, festival “Loud and Queer”. La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris.

“Réguler les frontières du sujet féministe : corps légitimes et corps déviants dans la rhétorique du Mouvement de libération des femmes”, 17 May 2019. Symposium “Corps républicains, corps déviants”. Paris 8 University.

“Faire de la théorie critique à partir de sources orales : méthodes et enjeux”, 26 April 2019. Symposium “Les entretiens en sciences sociales : pouvoir, mémoire et éthique”. Free University of Brussels.

“Le rôle de la presse lesbienne dans l’émergence d’un sujet politique lesbien (1976-1990)”, 19 April 2019. Research seminar “Genre, féminismes et mobilisations collectives” (Florys Castan-Vicente, Bibia Pavard, Alice Romerio and Bérangère Savinel). EHESS.

“Le Mouvement de libération des femmes était-il ‘hétéro-féministe’ ? Analyse critique de discours féministes révolutionnaires (1970-1981)”, 14 December 2018. Research seminar  “Genre, médias et communication” (Nelly Quemener and Virginie Julliard). Sorbonne Nouvelle University.

“Aux limites de la révolution féministe : le Mouvement de libération des femmes était-il un mouvement hétérosexuel ? (1970-1981)”, 13 November 2018. Research seminar “69, années érotiques” (David Paternotte). Free University of Brussels.

“The feminist archive as a site of epistemic violence”, 5 December 2017. Research seminar “Gender, Knowledge and Research Practice” (Jacob Breslow). London School of Economics.

“The Americanization of lesbianism in 1970s French feminist discourses”, 26 June 2017. The Society for the Study of French History Annual Conference. University of Strathclyde.

“The ‘others’ of French feminism from the second wave to the present” (with Eléonore Lépinard), 10 June 2017. European Conference on Politics and Gender – ECPG. University of Lausanne.

“Activisme culturel, presse et politiques de la représentation : histoire du militantisme lesbien dans les années 1980”, 22 October 2016. Public lecture (conference “Mémoires et transmission des archives lesbiennes et féministes”), Paris City Hall.

“The forgotten history of an anti-racist lesbian thought in France (1980-1985)”, 3 July 2016. Conference “Radical Histories/Histories of Radicalism”. Queer Mary University of London. 

“Le lesbianisme : enfant terrible du féminisme ? Le sujet lesbien et les recompositions du sujet féministe (1970-1985)”, 20 March 2015. Research seminar “Genres, féminismes et mobilisations collectives” (Marion Charpenel, Alban Jacquemard, Camille Masclet and Bibia Pavard). EHESS.

“Feminist trouble: the lesbian political subject and the archaeology of an anti-racist lesbian thought in France (1970-1985)”, 20 February 2015. Lesbian Lives Conference. University of Brighton.

“Du féminisme au lesbianisme radical : la construction du sujet lesbien au prisme de la politisation des violences contre les lesbiennes (1970-1982)”, 14 November 2014. Symposium “Injures sexistes et LGBT-phobes”. University of Angers.

“Le sujet politique lesbien en France : genèse d’une cause sexuelle (1970-1981)”, 7 June 2014. Conference “Causes sexuelles : sexualités et mobilisations collectives”. University of Lausanne.

“The construction of a lesbian political subject in France: an instructive starting point? (1970-1981)”, 14 December 2013. Symposium “Queer Theory in Academia: The Case of France in an International Frame”. University of Warwick.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS (SELECTION)

• Radio interviews

“Le féminisme lesbien, avec Ilana Eloit” on Radio Parleur (April 2021).

“Monique Wittig, lesbienne révolutionnaire” on France Culture (July 2020).

“Contraint·e·s à l’hétérosexualité” on Binge Audio (November 2019).

“Sortir les lesbiennes du placard : Face à un féminisme hétéro” on France Culture (LSD, la série documentaire) (November 2019).

“Lesbian Trouble : avec la chercheuse Ilana Eloit” on Radio Fréquence Paris Plurielle (Les Oreilles loin du front) (February 2019).

“La relève des savoirs… en histoire des femmes et du genre” on France Culture (La Fabrique de l’histoire) (November 2018).

• Newspaper and online interviews

“Entre féministes TERF et extrême-droite, des passerelles idéologiques pour un même combat antitrans”, Libération (Maxime Macé, Pierre Plottu and Johanna Luyssen), 12 September 2022.

“Marche des fiertés : ‘Désormais, les militants LGBT+ qui portent un discours radical peuvent influencer les organisations plus institutionnelles’”, Le Monde (Marie Slavicek), 18 June 2022.

“Écrivaine, militante, icône lesbienne : et la France (re)découvrit enfin Monique Wittig”, Les Inrockuptibles (Marie Kirschen), 27 April 2022.

“Les ‘mauvais sujets’ d’un juste combat”, Le Courrier (Dominique Hartmann), 10 April 2022.

“L’éveil de la cause lesbienne”, Sciences humaines (Marion Rousset), n° 63, June 2021.

“La ‘sororité’ n’est-elle qu’une fraternité au féminin ?”, Le Monde (Marion Dupont), 4 March 2020.

“Icône lesbienne et radicale : Monique Wittig a beaucoup de choses à nous apprendre”, i-D Vice (Matthieu Foucher), 5 July 2019.

“‘Le MLF n’était pas très ouvert sur le lesbianisme’. Ilana Eloit vient d’obtenir son doctorat”, Sciences Po website, December 2018. English translation.