Guest PhD student: Maialen Suárez Errekalde

Name: Maialen Suarez Errekalde
Home University: Deusto University
Disciplinary background: Social Work
Areas of expertise and research areas: Feminist and queer theory, sexuality and gender, power relations, qualitative methodologies.

Why did you choose to come to the Centre for Gender Research?
In my home university I do not have the opportunity to be integrated in a research group or area specialised in gender, so I was really interested to be in a centre like this, where I could meet researchers from all over the world with similar interests and projects. After doing much research about universities in the area of women, gender and sexuality, I requested this opportunity, as I believe Uppsala University, with its Centre for Gender Research, is the best option for me and my career, considering the highly qualified staff and really interesting and multidisciplinary research lines.

Shortly describe your current research project:
My thesis project expects to analyze from a feminist perspective the power relations that emerge among the sexual relations of sexually active feminists. It seeks to clarify the interrelation between these two dimensions (sexuality and power) that have proved to be essential for the maintenance and support of a gendered system that privileges men and heterosexuality. The aim of this researchs is not only to identify the continuities with heteropatriarchal sexual order, but also its changes and ruptures. The main key method has been in-depth interviews.