The semi-centennial anniversary of the CES provides an exciting moment to take stock of 50 years of cutting-edge work and illuminates a particular success story for the ever-expanding field of gender and sexuality research. Arriving to the scholarly party far later than areas concerned with integration or political economy for example, and frustratingly still perceived in some quarters as a highly specialized, or more dismissively “niche”, denomination of the social sciences, the abundance of activity in this area is now undeniable and a vibrant academic community prevails.

Established in 2011, the CES's very own Gender and Sexuality Research Network (GSRN) is just one example of this. With a membership spanning all stages of academic careers, from doctoral candidates through professors, the scholarship in this network provides a vibrant range of insights to European studies. Topics covered in our network are too many to list but include gendered+ approaches to European integration and disintegration; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) equality; the intersections between race, religion, and sexuality; and European reproductive health policies. Among a variety of endeavors that are fostered throughout the year across the network, the CES's annual conference showcases this growing presence, as was demonstrated in the 2019 conference in Madrid where no fewer than 32 panels in one way or another engaged with gender and sexuality research. The pathway to acceptance of activities with such a focus has been a long and often fractious road, however, and while it is a pertinent moment to join in the momentous celebrations for CES, the development of research and teaching in this domain must be duly noted to ensure positive growth. The arduous process of integration is a helpful point at which to begin this reflection.

The rebellious step-child

Gradual reconstitution of familial norms that erode the dominant heteronormative, two-parent family, and challenge the established binary, is a creeping and ever-evolving societal trend, and one that provides a helpful and appropriate analogy for this burgeoning research agenda. The study of gender first pervaded the academic landscape as a rebellious step-child of European studies and the social sciences, keen to challenge the patriarchal values entrenched in academia to that date.