Lancaster University, Lancaster (with hybrid online option) 2-3rd July 2027
Fan studies is an interdisciplinary field of research examining the histories, practices and communities formed by fans; people with a sustained or significant emotional investment in media, celebrities, sports or other shared cultural interests. As an academic field, fan studies is generally acknowledged to have begun with several foundational publications in 1992. This conference therefore critically reflects upon 35 years of fan studies and asks how the field has developed, where it is now, and its future directions. The conference will showcase new research and methodological innovations, speaking to fan studies’ significance to wider societal challenges.
This conference will aim to explore key issues in fan studies that have informed the field over the last 35 years and that will be important in the years to come. These might for example include: the history of the field, how European fan studies is distinct from and fits into global fan studies, current trends and methods, power, equality and exclusion in fandoms, the boundaries of fan studies, the impact of changing technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence), the impact of policy (e.g. around online discourse and intellectual property rights), the importance of race and colonialism, the transnational scope of fan activities and fan studies, the value and future of fan studies, and the relationships between fan studies and other disciplines.
Submissions can take the form of papers, panels, workshops or our popular ‘speed geeking’ session (see below)
You can apply for a paper or a panel or speedgeeking. You can also submit or be named on a workshop application. We may offer speedgeeking slots to some paper submissions if we are oversubscribed.
Types of submission accepted:
Paper (~15 mins) – Accepted papers will be offered a presentation slot on a themed panel collated by the conference organisers.
Panel (~15 mins per paper) – Panel submissions propose pre-constituted panels on a shared topic consisting of three to four papers.
Workshop (1-3 hours) – Workshops provide a space for practical engagement and experimental sessions for conference participants. This could for example include craft demonstrations, a working session to explore a topic, or more creative, experimental formats,
Speed geeking (~5 mins) – This involves each speaker presenting a short discussion on a relevant topic of their choosing to a number of small groups, and then receiving instantaneous feedback, making it ideal for presenting in-progress or undeveloped ideas.
If you have any questions about any presentation formats, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We encourage submissions on topics that may include but are not limited to:
- Dark, anti- and toxic fandom
- Fan practice in the age of AI
- Fan creations and activities: fanfiction, fanart, podcasts, material objects, fanbinding, cosplay, tourism, participatory activities
- Fan data, quantitative and computational methods
- Fan studies and fandom histories and evolution
- Fan studies methods, methodologies and disciplines
- Fandom activism
- Fandom and inequality: race, gender, sexuality, disability, intersectionality
- Fandom behaviours: norms, transgressions and policing
- Fandom beyond media: sports fandom, political fandom, game fandoms, furries
- Industry producer / consumer relationships, parasocial practices, celebrity culture
- Non-Western and transnational fandoms
- Platforms, online communities, algorithms and influencer culture
- Preservation of fan works and archiving, and preserving fannish artifacts
We also welcome submissions relating to anything else relevant to fans, fan objects, fandoms and fan studies.
Submission website and further information: https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eglFmWG4dnpASVM
Tags: call for papers, CFP, Conference
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