Queering History: Silences, Whispers and Screams

Dr. Alessio Ponzio will discuss the challenges that historians encounter when studying sexual and gender categories and identities. The presentation will emphasize the importance of adopting a "queer method" in historical analysis. As we will see, this approach involves more than applying the term "queer" to subjectivities that do not conform to sexual, gender, or societal norms. Queering the past requires humble awareness of our limitations. It means acknowledging that we may never fully understand how individuals in the past experienced and expressed sexual and gender nonconformity. This method requires us to suspend our way of thinking, setting aside the categories of the present and allowing ourselves to be captivated by history's boundless possibilities. Queering the past means asking questions to which we may never find answers because the past often stubbornly refuses to reveal itself.

The MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity introduces their new director, Dr. Alessio Ponzio at this edition of the Queer Horizons speaker series. Stay for a reception to meet Dr. Alessio Ponzio and learn more about what is happening at the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Alessio Ponzio (he/him) joined MacEwan University in August 2025 as the director for the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Before coming to MacEwan, Dr. Ponzio was an assistant professor of modern European history and the history of gender and sexuality at the University of Saskatchewan and at Memorial University. In addition to his academic appointments in North America, he also taught LGBTQ+ studies at the Università di Torino (Italy) between 2022 and 2025.

Ponzio brings a wide range of academic and research experience that allows him to teach broadly in the areas of modern European history, history of European empires, modern German history, modern Italian history, history of fascisms, history of genocides, history of the Holocaust, transnational history, history of media, history of youth and education, history of gender and sexuality, queer history, trans* history and queer studies.

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Date: Friday, October 3, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Roundhouse (Allard Hall) | MacEwan University
All are welcome to attend. ASL interpreter available upon request. 

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Queer Horizons: A Speaker Series Exploring 2SLGBTQ+ Research and Community Work 

The Queer Horizons speaker series, presented by the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity, profiles research and community work focused on 2SLGBTQ+ identities, issues, and topics. All events are free and open to everyone on campus and in the community. 

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2SLGBTQIA+ History Month Canada

2SLGBTQIA+ History Month Canada celebrates history and achievements of queer Canadians. @2SLGBTQIAHistoryMonthCanada on instagram