The Fan Studies Network

CFP Short Pieces on Queerbaiting

Fans use the term ‘queerbaiting’ to account for a (primarily) television tactic whereby producers deliberately insert homoerotic subtext between characters in order to capture a queer viewership, yet never actualise this subtext on screen. This is a call for short, forum-style thought  pieces on queerbaiting for an edited book collection being prepared for submission to University of Iowa Press’ Fan Studies series.

Pieces of 500–1500 words (inclusive of references) are invited on all aspects of the topic. These pieces will appear alongside chapter-length investigations of the topic and are envisioned as shorter observations, views on developments, and debates or issues related to the topic of queerbaiting. These pieces are designed to offer readers a glimpse into a range of specific cases, or in-depth readings of single queerbait scenes. Some suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

– a short theoretical piece on the term itself or a single related term;
– a reading of a single fan text that responds to instances of
queerbaiting in some way;
– an investigation of a single campaign to boycott a series that
queerbaits, such as on Twitter (i.e., the response to #AskSupernatural);
– a personal narrative on the effects of queerbaiting;
– a textual reading of a specific scene or pivotal episode from a series
accused of queerbaiting, such as from Supernatural, Sherlock, Merlin,
Rizzoli & Isles, Teen Wolf;
– a consideration of a single character or key pairing in the context of
the queerbaiting debate;
– a reading of an individual film that queerbaits (i.e., Victor
Frankenstein);
– a reading of a lesser known series or form of queerbaiting (i.e., a
video game, a music video);
– an exploration of queerbaiting as evidenced in the marketing of a
particular program;
– a specific case of cast and producer response to accusations of
queerbaiting;
– a discussion of a text that exists beyond the confines of/predates the
term (i.e., Xena);
– a single counter-argument to the queerbaiting concept.

The collection is being compiled by Dr Joseph Brennan
(joseph.brennan@sydney.edu.au) and contributions should be submitted in  full together with a 150-word bio to the editor for consideration by December 17, 2017. Authors will be informed of the outcome of their submission by the end of 2017, with successful entries being included in the manuscript submitted to the publisher for external review.

Informal correspondence with the editor on proposed pieces prior to the
submission deadline is encouraged.

We are delighted that taking place this week, between 30th November – 1st December 2017, at the University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, is the first ever Fan Studies Network Australasia conference.

The conference is organised by Dr. Bertha Chin (Swinburne University, Malaysia), Dr. Renee Middlemost (University of Wollongong, Australia), Prof. Sue Turnbull (University of Wollongong, Australia) and Dr. Ika Willis (University of Wollongong, Australia).

The keynote is Professor Matt Hills, from the University of Huddersfield and Dr. Ika Willis, from the University of Wollongong.

You can follow the exciting event and Australasian branch on Twitter here: @FSNAusAsia

The final programme is now available here: FSNFinalProgramWEB