The Fan Studies Network

Call for Articles

Diffractions – Graduate Journal for the Study of Culture

POPPING THE QUESTION: THE QUESTION OF POPULAR CULTURE

Deadline for article submissions: November 30, 2014​

As a concept, the popular – or popular culture for that matter – has never ceased to be debatable and ambivalent. Although it has come to occupy a particular place under the spotlight over the past decades within the broad study of culture, such apparently privileged position has not deprived it of the manifold ambiguities, complexities or misconceptions that have often involved its general understanding (John Storey, 2012; Angela McRobbie, 1994; Andrew Ross, 1989; John Fiske, 1989).

Following its emergence within the context of the processes of industrialization and the changes they brought about, namely in terms of cultural relations and the development of the capitalist market economy, the concept of popular culture was, for a considerable period of time, not only utterly rejected by intellectuals and scholars alike, but also denied any possibility of constituting a serious and valid topic for academic debate. Up until the mid twentieth-century, popular culture was often equated to a poor and simplistic form of entertainment and pleasure, and was even deemed morally and ethically questionable, not to mention aesthetically. However, and particularly after the 1950s, new perspectives would soon alter this perception in very significant ways, especially with the emergence of Cultural Studies and the influence their project had on both sides of the Atlantic (Lawrence Grossberg, 1997). From severe condemnation, popular culture quickly evolved into a discourse of positive reception and celebration, which resulted from critical work developed inside the academia, but also popular demand outside it.

The concept of the popular was then adopted both as an intrinsic feature, and as topic in its own right of artistic creation developed under the sign of pop. From pop art to pop music, a new understanding of culture has been put forth, building from what is embedded in the ambivalence of the popular and its many possibilities of intersection with new artistic forms of expression.

After the first decade of the twenty-first century, popular culture finds itself at a crossroads: has the concept been drained of its meaning because of its overwhelming popularity? After the euphoria around the popular, what afterlife can be expected from it? Should we still be discussing the popular as opposed to high and folk culture? And where and how do pop art forms intersect with the current notion of the popular?

Themes to be addressed by contributors may include but are not restricted to the following:
§ Popular Culture in Theory
§ Life and Afterlife of Popular Culture
§ Popular, Power and Politics
§ Popular Culture: Globalization, Centres and Peripheries
§ Material Culture
§ Popular music studies
§ Celebrity culture and Fandom: The Dynamics of Popularity
§ Contemporary Cinema and Digital Culture
§ 2.0 and Convergence practices§ Youth cultures, Subcultures, Scenes and Tribes
§ Retromania, Nostalgia and Authenticity
§ Pop and Popular: Overlap, Dissemblance and Divergence
§ Popular Culture and the Practices of Everyday Life
§ Folklore, Tradition and Preservation§ National Identities and Transnational Circulations
§ Cultural memory and popular culture
§ Fashion and luxury
§ Television and the Seriality of Popular Culture
§ Feminism, Postfeminism and Popular Culture
§ Popular Culture and Masculinities
§ Queering Popular Culture
§ Games Culture and New Media
§ Graffiti, Street Art and Urban Policies
§ Creative Industries and Cultural Economy

We look forward to receiving full articles of no more than 20 A4 pages (not including bibliography) and a short bio of about 150 words by November 30, 2014 at the following address: submissions@diffractions.net.
DIFFRACTIONS also accepts book reviews that may not be related to the issue’s topic. If you wish to write a book review, feel free to check the books available athttp://www.diffractions.net/books-for-review and contact us at reviews@diffractions.net.

Diffractions is the international, online and peer-reviewed journal of the doctoral program in Culture Studies at the Catholic University of Portugal. Find us online at http://www.diffractions.net and http://www.facebook.com/diffractionsjournal.

Call for Chapter Proposals on the X-Men Films

We would like to invite submissions of chapter proposals for an edited
book on the X-Men film franchise. The volume, to be published by
Rowman & Littlefield, is titled “The X-Men Films: A Cultural Analysis”
and seeks to present scholarly research on the movies, their
audiences, and their place within the entertainment industry. The
overarching framework is cultural studies and media studies, yet the
approach is interdisciplinary, so we welcome submissions that involve
related disciplines.

The book focuses specifically on the X-Men movies (not the comics) as
popular culture products of international relevance. While the films
are rooted in the original Marvel series, they depart from it in
various ways, constituting their own conceptual universe. Therefore,
chapter proposals may consider the X-Men’s transformation from comics
to movies, but should not deal primarily with the comic books.

Proposals may focus on any of the X-Men’s movie characters, on themes
that run across several films, or on particular installments of the
series—including the original trilogy that started in the year 2000,
the recent prequels, and the ‘Wolverine’ offshoots. Since the
franchise continues to expand (two more movies are already slated for
release in upcoming years) we are looking for research that is
relevant and timely. In particular, proposals may address textual
aspects of the X-Men films, consider them in relationship to social
and political issues, compare them to other superhero movie series, or
provide an understanding of their audiences. Proposals that deal with
topics of importance for international/intercultural communication are
encouraged.

The following is a preliminary list of topics of interest:
– Social issues reflected in the X-Men films
– Political subtexts found in the X-Men films
– Individual characters’ analysis (Wolverine, Prof X, Magneto, Mystique…)
– Representations of gender, race, class, age, and sexual orientation
– Issues of diversity, disability, inclusiveness, and marginalization
– Issues of otherness, identity, trauma, and belonging
– Portrayals of violence and war in the X-Men films
– Historical references (e.g. the Holocaust, the Vietnam War)
– Representations of power, politics, and the government
– Moral dilemmas, personal choices, and issues of social responsibility
– Portrayals of science, technology and change
– The X-Men’s transformation from comics to movies
– Industry aspects of the film franchise
– The X-Men in relationship to other Marvel superhero films (e.g. Avengers)
– Marvel’s X-Men versus DC-based series (e.g. Batman, Justice League)
– Original research on audiences and fans
– International/intercultural perspectives on the X-Men
– Beyond the X-Men: related themes in popular culture

Please send a 600-word abstract of your proposed chapter to
bucciferro@gonzaga.edu, along with a short bio and contact
information. The deadline for proposals is September 27, 2014.

The chapter selection will seek to represent a variety of analytical
perspectives, disciplinary frameworks, and thematic clusters. The full
chapters will be 5,500 – 6,000 words long and the manuscripts will be
due in January 2015, with further revisions due in May 2015.

If you have questions, please contact Claudia Bucciferro, assistant
professor of communication studies at Gonzaga University, at
bucciferro@gonzaga.edu or (509) 313-3635.

Harry Potter on the Page and on the Screen: Adaptation/Reception/Transformation

The eight film versions of the seven Harry Potter novels represent an unprecedented cultural event in the history of cinematic adaptation. The movie version of the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone, premiered in 2001, in between publication of the fourth and fifth books of this global literary phenomenon. As a result, the production and reception of both novel and movie series became intertwined with one another, creating multiple combination of fans who accessed the series first through the books, first through the movies, and in various other combinations. The decision to cast three young age appropriate actors who would mature along with their fictional counterparts further represents a cross-pollination of the interpretive process, as readers began experiencing the newly emerging novels in terms of the visual imagination of their screen experiences.

Harry Potter on the Page and on the Screen: Adaptation/Reception/Transformation is an essay collection that proposes to explore the cultural, political, aesthetic, and pedagogical implications of the adaptation of this generation-defining young adult narrative in order to expand our scholarly understanding of this far-reaching international literary and cinematic event, consider what we can learn about the process of cinematic adaptation of literary sources, and facilitate the classroom exploration of the Harry Potter series.

Some questions that might be considered:

· How does the overlapping adaptation history of the Harry Potter series affect theoretical questions of fidelity, interpretation, and transformation in film adaptation studies?

· In what ways do the novel and movie series represent the same or different narrative universes?

· How does the dual experience of the novel and movies affect the reception process of Harry Potter fans?

· How do the different media versions of the Harry Potter series impact representations of gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality?

· How was the dual development of the novel and film series affected by the concurrent development of Web 2.0 and interactive fan culture?

· How has the larger political and social context, particularly 9/11 and the wars of the 21st century, shaped the adaption and reception experience of Harry Potter?

· How have fan communities responded to issues of fidelity and interpretation within the film series? How have fan communities influenced the production process of the movie adaptations?

· How do specific examples of individual novel/movie adaptations represent different issues and developments related to the development of the dual media Harry Potter series?

Interested contributors may email inquiries or one page abstracts by 15 August 2014 to:

John Alberti
Department of English
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights KY 41099
alberti@nku.edu

Andy Miller
Department of English
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights KY 41099
millera@nku.edu

The Scandinavian Invasion: Perspectives on the Nordic Noir Phenomenon
Edited by William Proctor

The crime genre has a long-established history in the Scandinavian countries: from the ten-part series of novels by Sjöwall and Wahlöö featuring Inspector Martin Beck to Henning Mankell’s critique of Swedish society through the lens of the Kurt Wallander novels. Since the publication of Stieg Larsson’s The Millennium Trilogy in 2005 featuring anti-heroine, Lisbeth Salander, we have seen the birth of a global phenomenon that has spread across multiple media windows including literature, film and, most notably perhaps, television. Authors such as Jo Nesbo (The Snowman), Lars Kepler (The Hypnotist), Lotte and Søren Hammer (The Hanging) and more besides, regularly feature in book store charts and on internet shopping sites. In the UK, BBC Four continue to champion the genre by airing The Killing, Borgen, and more recently, The Bridge alongside other series, such as Mammon and Arne Dahl. How can we begin to account for the popularity of the so-called Nordic Noir genre in the UK and beyond? How has this impacted other texts outside of the Scandinavian Peninsula? What can audiences and fan cultures teach us about this phenomenon? More simply, why Nordic Noir and why now?The term itself, Nordic Noir, has also grown beyond its initial ambit to encompass multiple genres rather than restricted to crime or the police procedural. Arrow Films releases Scandinavian drama on the Nordic Noir label which includes crime, but also, other genres, such as history (Anno 1790), for instance. In this way, the genre has expanded in significant ways as a ‘cultural category’ that is discursively constructed rather than confined to a limited and finite designation. Following Jason Mittell, the Nordic Noir genre ‘operates in an ongoing historical process of category formation genres are constantly in flux, and thus their analyses must be historically situated’ (2004: xiv). This collection aims to offer a varied range of perspectives on the Nordic Noir phenomenon and invites scholars to submit abstracts of 300 – 500 words. I am particularly interested in audiences and fan cultures, but other avenues of exploration may include (but not limited to):

· Genre analysis.
· History
· Society and Culture.
· Literature, Cinema, Television.
· Non-Crime texts (such as Akta Manniskor or Anno 1790 and so forth).
· Reception and Audiences.
· Gender.
· Sexuality.
· Representation.
· Influence and impact in other cultures.
· The new wave of literature.
· Industry.
· Branding.

All proposals will be considered within the remit of Nordic Noir and its impact. Deadlines for abstracts: October 1st 2014. This will form part of the proposal to Edinburgh University Press who have expressed an interest in the project. Abstracts to be forwarded to: billyproctor@hotmail.co.uk. Please send any queries, ideas etc to the same.

Call for Submissions: Edited collection on the CW television series Arrow

Editors: Jim Iaccino, Cory Barker, and Myc Wiatrowski

In just two years on the air, the CW’s Arrow has garnered both fan and critical acclaim for its ambitious storytelling, well-produced action sequences, and solid performances. Arrow’s stories and characters offer opportunities for discussions of justice and vigilantism, masculinity, dual identities, and aesthetics. Furthermore, the series has thrived in adapting DC Comics stories and characters to television, but also in translating the spirit and stylistic flourishes of comics to the televisual medium. Arrow therefore also raises important questions about media franchising, adaptation, medium specificity, and industry trends. As a young series, very little has been written about Arrow in academic circles. This collection of essays seeks to provide the opening large-scale investigation into the CW series and examine Arrow from multiple perspectives and disciplines.

Potential topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:

Representations of masculinity, femininity, race, sexuality, class, and family within Arrow
Explorations of justice, violence, the greater good, and morality within Arrow
Examinations of secret (and dual) identities, teamwork, and secret keeping within Arrow
Deceptions of a “realistic” superhero story and the slow introduction of more fantastical elements within Arrow
Arrow’s narrative techniques, including the preponderance of flashbacks and serialization
Arrow’s fight choreography and action set pieces
Chapters discussing individual episodes or story arcs within Arrow
Chapters discussing particular character arcs or relationships (Oliver-Felicity, Oliver-Slade, Thea-Roy, etc.) within Arrow
Arrow as an adaptation of the pre-existing Green Arrow stories and its employment of characters and arcs from the larger DC Comics universe
Evolution of the Arrow figure from the Smallville series to the current show
Arrow as part of the recent push for superhero series on television (including comparisons between Arrow and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow and The Flash)
Critical reception to Arrow
Arrow themes in popular culture
Fan readings, productions, and activities related to and about Arrow
This collection is under contract with McFarland, so all that remains is securing the contributions in a timely fashion for a planned text publication in late 2015-early 2016.

The deadline for proposals of 500 words is August 31, 2014. Please email your abstract and a brief bio to jiaccino@thechicagoschool.edu. Please put “Arrow Abstract” in the subject line. If an abstract is selected for the collection, full essays of 5,000-7,000 words will be due by December 1, 2014.

Call for Chapters: A Netflix Reader: Critical Essays on Streaming Media, Digital Delivery, and Instant Access, an edited collection on the cultural impact of Netflix, currently under contract with McFarland.

Areas of analysis: American Studies, Business Studies, Communication, Cultural History, Cultural Studies, Fan Studies, Film and Television Studies, Folklore, Gender Studies, Internet Studies, Media Studies, New Media, Political Policy Studies, Popular Culture Studies, Technology Studies, Telecommunication.

Editors: Cory Barker and Myc Wiatrowski, Indiana University
The editors of Popular Culture in the Twenty-First Century (2013, Cambridge Scholars Publishing) and Mapping Smallville: Critical Essays on the Series and Its Characters (2014, McFarland).

When Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph launched Netflix in 1997, they could not have predicted that their company would eventually be the catalyst for a number of shifts in media production, distribution, and consumption. What began as a way to subvert egregious late fees charged by video store chains like Blockbuster has grown into a digital distribution behemoth. Netflix and its approximately 31 million subscribers are now responsible for more than a third of all downstream Internet traffic in North America. Netflix’s practices have directly affected distribution models for film and television, changing not only what we watch, but also how and when we watch it. The popularity and ubiquity of its service has had a dramatic impact on technological developments, necessitating new, Netflix-ready devices and platforms. Recently, Netflix has been at the center of public policy debates, particularly those regarding net neutrality. Yet, despite these very real and noticeable impressions on American culture, very little has been written about Netflix in critical and academic circles. This collection of essays seeks to rectify this academic blind spot and examine Netflix from multiple perspectives and disciplines.

Potential topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:

• Netflix’s impact on the broadcast television paradigm
• The role of Netflix in debates on net neutrality
• How Netflix has altered or highlights patterns of media consumption in individuals and groups (including binge watching)
• Netflix’s influence on technological developments
• How Netflix’s success has created market competition (Amazon Prime, Hulu+, etc.)
• Explorations of Netflix’s business failures (e.g. Qwickster)
• Explorations of Netflix’s expansion into international markets
• Analyses of Netflix original programming
• Fan responses to Netflix programming and/or campaigns to relaunch failed network programs

The deadline for proposals of 500 words is August 29, 2014. Please email your abstract and a short biography or CV as Word docs to Netflix.Book@gmail.com. The subject line should contain the writ-er’s surname followed by “Netflix Abstract” (e.g. Wiatrowski Netflix Abstract).

For selected abstracts, full essays of 6,000-9,000 words (inclusive of citations and endnotes) will be due December 19, 2014.

Call for Papers
Fan Phenomena: James Bond

Having recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films in 2012, and with pre-production on Bond 24 underway, Intellect’s Fan Phenomena book series is now seeking chapters for a new volume on fandom and James Bond. The Fan Phenomena books explore and decode the fascination we have with what constitutes an iconic or cult phenomenon and how a particular person, TV show or film character/film infiltrates its way into the public consciousness. Over the years Bond has proved to be popular with fans, and is an enduring global cultural phenomenon, making him a perfect icon to be covered by the series.

From the original Bond stories written by Ian Fleming, through to the success of the EON-produced films, and other licensed Bond novels, video games and tie-in products, the Bond franchise is long-running and highly financially lucrative, having generated billions of dollars in revenue. But unsurprisingly, given his status as a global icon, Bond has also evolved well beyond this official image to become a popular hero who is deeply influential and widely appropriated. The James Bond (Fan Phenomena) title will examine aspects of the Bond fan culture, and may consider in particular what exploring fans and fandom might bring to debates about Bond’s continued cultural relevance. The emphasis will be on fan culture as an aspect of the Bond phenomenon, and the collection will aim to analyse some of the ways in which this iconic character has been taken up and (re)interpreted, (re)appropriated and (re)branded by and for his fan-base, and across media.

Topics of particular interest might include, but are not limited to:
– Bond as lifestyle icon
e.g. Bond’s influence on fashion, the emulation of Bond through the purchase of clothing/accessories/fragrance, fan appropriation or identification with the Bond image or role, Bond-themed experiences, or Bond as cult hero

– The Bond brand
e.g. the creation of brand partnerships, brand recognition and reinforcement, the significance of ‘Bondomania’, the Bond brand reboot, transmedia Bond, the Bond villain, or Bond girl

– Bond merchandise, memorabilia and collecting
e.g. the significance of product consumption, marketing or creation

– Bond fans’ use of different media to create community
e.g. fan clubs, fanzines, Bond on the internet, video games, books, music or comic books

– The phenomena of Bond fan art, fan fiction, fan films and other fan responses
e.g. the Bond/Q pairing, crossover fan fiction (such as Bond and Harry Potter, Bond and Dr Who, or Bond and Batman), fan interpretations of the Bond character, or Bond fan fiction and copyright

– Bond fan demographics
e.g. the role of gender, sexuality, age in the Bond fan base, global examples of Bond fandom, or stereotypes of the Bond fan

– Arguments and divides between Bond fans
e.g. fans of the Bond books vs. fans of the films, Bond bests and worsts (actors/films/characters), or fan responses to particular characters, casting choices or the direction of the Bond franchise (such as DanielCraigisnotBond.com)

– Bond-inspired tourism
e.g. fans who visit Bond film shooting locations, Bond tours, Bond’s London, or the Bond-related tourist industry

– Bond-inspired spoofs, satires, parodies, imitations and references in film, books, videogames, on TV or other media
e.g. Austin Powers (1997, 1999, 2002), James Pond (1990), ‘You Only Move Twice’ (1996) The Simpsons’ episode, Johnny English (2003), or the short story ‘Bond Strikes Camp’ (1963)

– Bond and philosophy
e.g. the philosophical questions raised by Bond, or the appeal of Bond’s philosophy

– The language of Bond
e.g. key terminology (the ‘Bondian’), the significance of Bond’s body language, or of the repetition of iconic phrases (by fans)

Like other titles in the Fan Phenomena series, this book is aimed at both fans and those interested in the cultural and social aspects of James Bond. As such the book is intended to be entertaining, informative, and accessible to a broad audience.
Please send an abstract (300 words) and a short bio, or direct enquiries to Claire Hines claire.hines@solent.ac.uk by 30 June 2014. Final chapters will be 3,000 – 3,500 words.

CFP- Fan Phenomena: The Lord of the Rings

Intellect’s Fan Phenomena series is seeking chapters for a new volume on fandom and The Lord of The Rings films. The series explores and decodes the fascination we have with what constitutes an iconic or cult phenomenon, and how a particular
person, TV show or film infiltrates its way into the public consciousness.
The Lord of the Rings (Fan Phenomena) title will examine the film’s ‘fan culture’, including matters of audience participation and iconic status, as well as other areas of influence and impact. Subjects are to be addressed in a thoughtful and accessible manner aimed at both fans and those interested in the cultural, economic, and social aspects of The Lord of the Rings.

Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to:
· Fan media
· Cult status
· Film-based tourism
· Web site and forum interactions
· Character franchises
· Adaptation processes
· Audience reception
· Prequels/sequels (The Hobbit in particular)
· Film location guides
· Fantasy fandom
· Merchandise
· Economics
· Collector editions
· Media design
· Gender portrayal
· The Philosophy of LOTR
· The importance of ‘location’

Interviews with The Lord of the Rings tour organisers, fan-media coordinators, or authors of LOTR-related books (especially of tourism and film guides) will also be considered.
Please send an abstract (300 words) and a short bio (250 words) by 15 May 2014. For selected abstracts, the final chapters of 3000-3500 words will be due 1 September 2014.

Please direct all questions and submissions to Dr Lorna Piatti-Farnell:
lorna.piatti-farnell@aut.ac.nz.