Sheila Cavanagh


Sheila Cavanagh is a Canadian academic, playwright, and author. She is an associate professor of sociology and former chair of the Sexuality Studies Program at York University where she teaches an undergraduate course titled Sociology of Gender and a range of graduate courses in sexuality studies, feminist theory and queer theory. Cavanagh is best known for her work in gender and sexuality with a concentration on queer, cultural, and psychoanalytic theories.

Career

Cavanagh received a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Education and Sociology at York University. She earned a master's from the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a Ph.D. in sociology at York University in 1999. After graduating, Cavanagh was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Women's Studies at Western University.
Cavanagh is currently associate professor of sociology and was formerly the chair of the Sexuality Studies Program at York University. Cavanagh is a former chair of the Canadian Sexuality Studies Association.

Publications

Books

Cavanagh has written a number of books and articles in the area of gender and sexuality with an emphasis on queer theory and more recently, psychoanalysis. Her first book was titled ]. Her second sole-authored book titled was a GLBT Indie Book Award finalist and recipient of the CWSA/ACEF Outstanding Scholarship Prize Honourable Mention.
Cavanagh is also co-editor of a collection with Angela Failler and Rachel A. J. Hurst titled

Plays

Cavanagh later adapted interview transcripts collected in the process of researching her second book, Queering Bathrooms into a play entitled, https://vimeo.com/87865033 Queer Bathroom Monologues, which premiered at the [Toronto Fringe Festival and was given the Audience Pick Award. QBM was later staged at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto, in June 2014 for WorldPride and has subsequently toured at conferences, colleges and universities in Canada and the United States.

Articles

Cavanagh, Holly Randell-Moon and Iris van der Tuin co-edit Somatechnics, a multi-disciplinary academic journal focusing on ethics, technology and the body. Cavanagh recently Guest Edited a Speciall Issue of , on the topic of transgender and psychoanalysis.
Cavanagh's scholarly articles have been published in , Body and Society, and among other journals. She is also regularly interviewed by popular media on issues related to the rights and inclusion of trans* people.