CfP- Speculative Fiction and Criticism in Precarious Times
deadline for submissions:
August 1, 2026
full name / name of organization:
Lancaster University
contact email:
precarioustimesconference@gmail.com
source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/06/17/cfp-speculative-fiction-and-criticism-in-precarious-times
CfP- Speculative Fiction and Criticism in Precarious Times
‘Speculative Fiction and Criticism in Precarious Times’ is a conference celebrating a rich network of postgraduate research students working with speculative fiction and criticism across the United Kingdom. Taking place on Friday 18th September at Lancaster University, the conference will feature an array of diverse papers along with a plenary lecture (tbc) and a roundtable discussion from world-leading academics including Dr. Anna McFarlane and Dr. Oliver Langmead. This event is proudly funded by the NWCDTP Cohort Development Fund.
Speculation has long been associated with the study of arts and humanities. We invite papers that consider how fiction and criticism can speculate about the precarious times that we live in. Particularly, academics across the world face insecurity and instability within their institutions due to systemic discrediting of the arts and humanities. We ask our speakers to consider how the practice of speculation can respond to experiences of precarity, and what potential it has for finding a way through.
This event is FREE for all to attend, including refreshments in the morning and lunch. Additionally, speakers from NWCDTP institutions can have travel fees reimbursed. Speakers must be a postgraduate researcher or early-career researcher, however we warmly invite other academics and students to attend.
We welcome papers that engage with the following topics, among others:
- Speculative fiction or genre fiction; including, but not limited to, Gothic, horror, fantasy, science fiction and more.
- Speculative criticism, that uses critical and theoretical approaches to respond to precarity.
- Speculations on terminology/specificity of genre and criticism
- Speculative fiction and criticism confronting key sites of precarity; such as housing, employment, poverty, immigration, conflict, education, politics, and environmental concerns.
- Speculative fiction and criticism and its representations of social issues; such as gender, sexuality, race, disability, and physical and mental health.
- Digital speculations; social media, AI, misinformation, and anti-truth politics/fake news.
- Speculation and culture; speculative fiction and criticism’s relationship to fan cultures, music, fashion, and more.
- Discussions of speculation across different forms of media and culture; literature, film, television, theatre, tabletop and video games, and other media.
- Interdisciplinary approaches to speculative fiction and criticism from outside of the Arts and Humanities.
- Creative and/or creative-critical responses.
Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words for a 15-minute presentation to PrecariousTimesConference@gmail.com. For all submissions, provide a brief bio (50-100 words), any institutional affiliations, and contact details. Please send your submission as an attachment; please do not send your submission within the body of the email or as a link. If you would like to attend without presenting a paper, please get in touch.
The deadline for submissions is August 1st. Send all submissions, or any related questions, to PrecariousTimesConference@gmail.com.
Last updated June 17, 2026
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