The Gender Studies Seminar Series: Transnational Cultural Studies of Dating

Transnational Cultural Studies of Dating

Gender Studies Seminar with Łukasz Szulc

Abstract

Over 350 million people worldwide use dating apps, with more than 1,500 dating websites and apps operating globally. In this competitive market, companies strive to stand out by developing innovative features. Yet, such innovation can mask core similarities − most notably, that leading platforms (including Tinder, Bumble and Grindr) are designed by for-profit companies headquartered in the US, despite their global reach. This underscores the need for a cross-border perspective, alongside a historical approach, to account for the transformation of dating cultures in the context of their intensified mediation, commodification and globalisation. 

In this talk, I propose a transnational approach that emphasizes rapid technological change, large-scale migration and increased cross-cultural exchange. I introduce a new framework for transnational cultural studies of dating, detailing its ontological and epistemological foundations, guiding principles, methods and research agenda.

Bio 

Dr Łukasz Szulc is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on critical and cultural studies of digital media, particularly at the intersections of gender, sexuality and transnationalism. He co-edited the 2024 Special Issue of Communication, Culture and Critique on ‘Transnational Queer Cultures and Digital Media’ (with Yener Bayramoğlu and Radhika Gajjala) and is the author of 'Transnational Homosexuals in Communist Poland: Cross-Border Flows in Gay and Lesbian Magazines' (2018).

Chair: Ov Cristian Norocel, Associate Professor in Gender Studies, Lund University 

The Seminar Series

The Gender Studies Seminar Series invites researchers to share their insight on key issues for gendered and sexualized lives and knowledges, and to engage in critical discussions about the development of gender studies as an interdisciplinary and intersectional research field. Bringing together scholars from various research fields and theoretical traditions, this seminar series offers a platform for critical reflexions and new insights.

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