Call for Papers
“Manga Futures: Institutional and Fannish Approaches in Japan and Beyond”
Manga Studies is now emerging as an important field of scholarship and
criticism within Japanese Studies and Cultural Studies, but its
methodologies and theoretical foundations are still being developed in
relation to both existing academic disciplines and everyday practices.
This conference approaches “manga culture” in the broadest
sense.Speakers address the interrelations between aspects of
production, distribution and consumption inside and outside of Japan.
Perspectives adopted include institutionally established
industry-insiders,fandom-based creators and critics, and academics
with social-science and humanities-oriented backgrounds. Manga has
given rise to a new participatory culture which reaches far beyond
graphic narratives. Today’s students are not simply consumers of
manga. They live in a convergent media environment where they occupy
multiple roles as fans, students and “produsers” (producers + users)
of Japanese cultural content. Many students are engaged in
“scanlation” and “fansubbing” sites as well as the production and
dissemination of dōjin (fan-produced) work. These practices contribute
to manga’s global appeal, influence and ease of access, but also raise
ethical and legal issues, not least infringement of copyright. In
addition to invited speakers who include manga researchers and
creators from Japan, Japanese Studies experts, language teachers and
other stakeholders, the organizers welcome critical contributions
which reflect on how the study of manga should develop as a scholarly
field to support young people’s enthusiasm and ensure the prosperity
of manga culture now and into the future.
Paper proposals are invited on the following themes:
• Fan appropriations of and contributions to manga culture in Japan and beyond
• Commonalities and differences in fandom-based creation and criticism
between Japan and other countries
• Ethical and legal challenges in the production and consumption of
manga (copyright, representations of violent and sexual content,
potential fictional “child abuse” images etc.)
• Institutional support for or criticism of manga culture
• The use of manga in Japan studies and Japan language pedagogy
• The future of “manga studies” – theory and methods
Please note that the above issues may be also addressed via
discussions of manga-related media such as anime and video games.
Due date for proposals: 13 July 2014
Notification of acceptance: August 2014
Deadline for registration: 3 October 2014
You may submit your abstracts by using our submission form.
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The Fan Studies Network 
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