Since 2010 we have organised major international conferences, one-day symposia and regular CPCS forums. Our key conferences are listed below, followed by smaller events, link to our forums page here.
International conferences
Our founding conference, ‘Monitoring Parents, Child-rearing in an age of ‘Intensive Parenting” held in May 2007 at the University of Kent
This conference was held at the University of Kent on May 21/22, 2007. It brought together scholars from countries including the UK, Canada, the US, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Norway to discuss issues ranging from stranger danger to breastfeeding to teenage motherhood.
The ESRC seminar series‘Changing Parenting Culture’, held between 2009-2010 at a range of UK Universities
Seminar 2, April 2009, Gender and parenting culture: Intensive fatherhood?
Seminar 3, September 2009, Child-rearing in a risk society
Seminar 4, February 2010, Parenting culture and the problem of policy
Seminar 5, June 2010, Pregnancy and Pregnancy Planning in the New Parenting Culture
Our conference, supported by the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness, Feeding children in the new parenting culture, held on 21st March 2011.
Monitoring Parents: Science, evidence, experts and the new parenting culture
University of Kent on 13-14 September 2011.
The conference provided the opportunity for inter-disciplinary discussion of empirical and theoretical work that explores the increasing advance of a ‘science’ of child-rearing. The organisers aimed to encourage discussion of and debate about developments through which ‘parenting’ has been constructed as an activity which can and should be influenced by scientific evidence and expert opinion.
The Uses and Abuses of Biology: Neuroscience, Parenting and Family Policy in Britain
Further information can be found here.
Parenting and Personhood 23 and 24 June 2016, Canterbury, UK.
Symposia and other events
Parenting Culture and Feeding Babies: one day Symposium 25 May 2023
Parenting before children? Parenting culture, pregnancy and the ‘pre-conception period’, 24 May 2022, University of Kent
Policing Pregnancy: Who should be a mother? 18 May 2017, Canterbury Christ Church University
Doctors, Conscience and Abortion Law and Practice 29 June 2017, University of Kent
Policing Pregnancy 13 April 2016, Royal College of Physicians, London.
(Un)comfortable Bedfellows Gender, Intimacy and Equality IOE on 7 April 2015.