CFP Star Wars 50 Years: Pasts, Presents, and Futures (11/1/2026; Leicester, UK 5/21-22/2027)

Here's the information on yet another conference set to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Star Wars in 1977. 

Star Wars 50 Years: Pasts, Presents, and Futures

deadline for submissions:
November 1, 2026

full name / name of organization:
University of Leicester

contact email:
sw-conf-50@leicester.ac.uk

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/node/106328

Conference Call for Papers

The Star Wars 50 Years academic conference will be held by the University of Leicester and the Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space at Space Park Leicester on 21-22 May 2027 in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the original release of the film on 25 May 1977 in the U.S. We are now inviting proposals for conference presentations.

Conference Organisers:

Xiyuan Gao, PhD Candidate - Conference Director
Dr David Christopher - Conference Co-Director
Dr James Aitcheson - Leverhulme Centre Partner
Dr Tara Smith - Leverhulme Centre Partner
Helen Bruce, PhD Candidate - Director, Festival of Media Stories



Overview

Star Wars: A New Hope was first released in the United States on 25 May 1977, inaugurating a screen franchise whose cultural, industrial, and imaginative afterlives now span half a century. The Star Wars 50 Years Conference will mark the anniversary by bringing together scholars, researchers, practitioners, archivists, and fans at the Leverhulme Centre for Humanity and Space in Leicester contiguous with The National Space Centre.

The Centre hosts numerous Star Wars-themed public events throughout the year, and we will be excited to follow their developing programme with an eye to connecting their events and screenings to the conference.

Leicester and Leicestershire occupy a distinctive place in the history of Star Wars in the UK. Leicestershire was home to Palitoy, the toy company that held the coveted manufacturing contract in the UK during the original trilogy era.

Palitoy’s Star Wars figures, vehicles, packaging, and playsets remain central to British collecting cultures and to the material memory of the franchise, linking Leicestershire to the commercial and affective history of Star Wars childhoods, fandom, and merchandising. Indeed, Matt Holt’s upcoming documentary In a Landfill Far, Far Away (Spoon Jar Films) seeks to discover the so-called ‘lost toys’ from the Palitoy factory putatively buried somewhere in Leicestershire which is sure to create a scholarly buzz: 'Filmmaker unearths legend of buried Star Wars toys'.

Leicestershire’s connection to the franchise is also embodied in personnel history. The late Jeremy Bulloch, born in Market Harborough, was the first actor to perform Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, helping to create one of the most enduring and enigmatic figures in Star Wars. His association with Boba Fett further situates Leicestershire within the lived and performed history of Star Wars, extending the county’s relevance beyond merchandising and into questions of screen performance, character embodiment, cult stardom, and fan memory. Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One also calls Nuneaton home.

More broadly, the franchise has launched or fostered the careers of myriad British performers from Sir Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing though to John Boyega, Felicity Jones, and Daisy Ridley. And so much of Lucas’s production efforts were located at various studios and locations across the UK including locations in Leicestershire.

Star Wars 50 Years invites contributors to reflect on the franchise’s pasts, presents, and futures, especially with regard to the participation of UK production inputs or international franchise phenomena, but not necessarily limited by this parameter as such. The conference welcomes papers on Star Wars across film, television, animation, games, publishing, merchandising, fan communities, transmedia storytelling, race, gender, class, politics, technology, nostalgia, and global reception, etc.

By gathering in Leicester, the conference asks not only what Star Wars has meant over the past fifty years, but also how particular places, objects, performances, institutions, and communities have shaped the franchise’s meanings across the UK and beyond.



Topics of Interest

We welcome papers on, but not limited to, the following research topics:

• Star Wars histories, legacies, and cultural memory.
• Directors, writers, producers, showrunners, designers, performers, and other creative workers across the franchise.
• Star Wars and transmedia storytelling across film, television, animation, novels, comics, games, audio, toys, and digital platforms.
• Expanded universes, canon, continuity, retconning, and the relationship between Legends and Disney-era canon.
• Star Wars television and Disney+ distribution.
• Star Wars animation (The Clone Wars, Rebels, and more recent animated projects).
• Star Wars games, interactive storytelling, virtual worlds, and player agency.
• Ethnicity, class, disability, age, and embodiment in Star Wars.
• Feminism, female characters, creators, audiences, and female-led fan practices.
• Masculinity, fatherhood, family, lineage, inheritance, and dynastic storytelling.
• Queer readings, slash fandom, transformative works, and alternative affective attachments.
• Stardom, performance, voice acting, physical performance, puppetry, motion capture, and creature performance.
• Practical effects, digital effects, CGI, sound design, editing, and the aesthetics of technological change.
• John Williams, musical themes, soundscapes, voice, and sonic memory.
• Merchandising, toys, collecting, licensing, branding, and commercial culture.
• Museums, exhibitions, archives, private collections, fan collections, and the preservation of Star Wars objects.
• Global Star Wars: international reception, translation, dubbing, subtitling, censorship, distribution, and localisation.
• Fandom, fanfiction, fan art, cosplay, fan films, podcasts, conventions, online communities, and platform cultures.
• Fan controversy, anti-fandom, canon disputes, toxicity, moderation, inclusion, and community governance.
• Nostalgia, childhood, memory, intergenerational spectatorship, collecting, and affect.
• Science, space travel, astronomy, robotics, artificial intelligence, and the relationship between Star Wars and public science imagination.
• Theme parks, immersive experiences, live events, exhibitions, tourism, and commercialised fan participation.
• Archives, lost materials, production histories, oral histories, memory work, and fan-led preservation.
• The future of Star Wars: franchise fatigue, renewal, legacy, and new audiences.

The conference is scheduled to be on-site and in-person. The submission of remote presentation proposals will be considered only under specific mitigating circumstances.



Submission Details

Individual Papers

The individual proposal shall include the following information, all in the same document:A title.
An abstract (maximum 300 words) for a 15-20-minute presentation.
Speaker’s short biography (maximum 150 words), including affiliation.
Speaker’s email address.

Pre-constituted Panels

The panel proposal shall include the following information, all in the same document:A panel title.
All individual abstracts (maximum 300 words each).
All speakers’ short biographies (maximum 150 words each), including their affiliation and email address.
If you wish to designate a panel chair, please indicate this in the panel proposal. Otherwise, the committee will assign one for you.

To submit, please email your proposal as an attachment (Word file preferred) to sw-conf-50@leicester.ac.uk by 1-November-2026. Please clearly state in the email subject either “Star Wars 50 Years individual proposal” or “Star Wars 50 Years panel proposal”.

Notification of accepted papers and panel proposals will be returned on or before 31st January 2027.



Conference Address

Space Park Leicester
Space City, 92 Corporation Rd, Leicester
Postcode: LE4 5SP



Contact

If you have any queries regarding the conference, please email conference director Xiyuan Gao (xg92@leicester.ac.uk) or co-director Dr David Christopher (dc435@leicester.ac.uk).

General enquiries: sw-conf-50@leicester.ac.uk

CFP “Feel the Force”: The first 50 years of Star Wars (12/31/2026; PopCRN Online 5/4-5/2027)

“Feel the Force”: The first 50 years of Star Wars 4-5 May 2027

deadline for submissions:
December 31, 2026

full name / name of organization:
PopCRN - The Popular Culture Research Network

contact email:
popcrn@une.edu.au

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/03/18/%E2%80%9Cfeel-the-force%E2%80%9D-the-first-50-years-of-star-wars-4-5-may-2027


“Feel the Force”: The first 50 years of Star Wars

A PopCRN Conference

Join us for a free virtual conference exploring the Star Wars universe and its enduring cultural impact to be held online from 4th-5th May 2027.

From a surprise blockbuster to a galactic empire of multimedia dominance, Star Wars has fundamentally reshaped popular culture, spawned generations of devoted fans, and continues to spark passionate debates about sequels, prequels, spinoffs, and what George Lucas really meant to say. Is Jar Jar Binks a Sith Lord? Are the Ewoks cute and cuddly? Which is the best trilogy? And what order should you watch them in? We want to hear all the academic debates from across the galaxy!

We welcome both individual papers, panels and round table discussions from researchers across the academic spectrum and encourage papers from academic padawans, postgraduate researchers and early career researchers. Selected papers will have the opportunity to be published in a planned book.

To whet your appetite, we have provided some topics below. We will also accept topics beyond this scope:

• "I find your lack of faith disturbing" – Fandom, canon wars, and the discourse around Disney's sequel trilogy.
• "These are not the droids you're looking for" – The role of robots, androids and AI in Star Wars narratives and our contemporary moment.
• "I am your father" – Paternity, family structures and generational trauma in the Skywalker saga.
• "Do or do not, there is no try" – Yoda, philosophy, and wisdom.
• "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" – Nostalgia, retrofuturism and the invention of the past.
• "The Force will be with you, always" – Spirituality, religion and mythology.
• "Laugh it up, fuzzball" – Comedy, camp and levity.
• "That's no moon" – Scale, technology and the sublime in science fiction cinema.
• "I love you." "I know." – Romantic narratives and toxic masculinity in space opera.
• "The garbage'll do!" – Consumption, waste and sustainability in Star Wars merchandising.
• "This is the way" – Community, belonging and parasocial relationships in television fandom.
• The Imperial March – Empire, corruption and war in the Star Wars universe.
• "The Resistance will rise" – Class struggle, labour and economic systems in Star Wars worldbuilding.
• "Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine" – Death, resurrection and immortality narratives.
• "I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe" – Labour, precarity and the gig economy in space.
• "That's no way to treat a lady!" – Manners, civility and social codes across species and cultures.

Please email inquiries to popcrn@une.edu.au

Website: www.popcrn.org

Please submit abstracts (200 words) and author details via our online portal By 31st December 2026.

Notification of abstract acceptance is 31st January 2027.

Registration is free. The conference is welcoming of early career researchers, postgraduates, Indigenous scholars, people with diverse identities and other Star Wars enthusiasts.

You can also submit via the QR code below or through the URLs below

Submit here - https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8jjzaWnS732QsFE

Register here - https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7TGWUYZidtlxVLU

CFP Star Wars at 50: Forces, Forms, Legacies (12/1/2026; Durham University 5/7/2027)

Star Wars at 50: Forces, Forms, Legacies

deadline for submissions:
December 1, 2026

full name / name of organization:
Dr Sam Thomas / Durham University

contact email:
samuel.thomas@durham.ac.uk

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/05/01/star-wars-at-50-forces-forms-legacies

2027 marks the 50th anniversary of the film now generally known as Episode IV: A New Hope, the first instalment in the hugely successful Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. As beloved as it is divisive, Star Wars now straddles multiple decades and generations while proliferating across narrative media (novels, comics, games, animation, TV). It provides a series of compelling case studies in the relationship between creativity and commerce, from the foundation of Lucasfilm during the New Hollywood period to the 21st century Disney-era, and it has developed via a complex interplay between cutting-edge technological innovation, nostalgia, and mythmaking. It is both shaped by and responsive to historical and political contexts ranging from the Vietnam War to 9/11. With Lucas famously drawing on an eclectic range of cinematic and intellectual influences (Kurosawa, the Western, Saturday serials, Joseph Campbell, Buddhism, and more), the influence that Star Wars itself now exerts on contemporary culture is as wide as it is deep. Star Wars, as Obi-Wan says of the Force, “binds us and penetrates us.” At the same time, however, and with some important exceptions, academic discussion of Star Wars has often relied on a rather narrow set of critical frameworks and has tended to neglect the actual texts of the franchise and their place in cultural history. As the blockbuster of blockbusters reaches its half century, it is therefore the ideal moment to reflect anew on Star Wars and its manifold legacies.

When and where?

The conference will take place on Friday May 7th 2027 at Durham University. This will be followed by an exciting series of public events and activities at the Glasshouse concert venue in Gateshead across May 8th and 9th. Details tbc. Speakers and attendees at the conference are welcome (and indeed encouraged) to stay for the weekend! Presenting online will also be an option (although these slots will be limited).

Texts and topics

Presentations are sought on any Star Wars media – from the films of the original trilogy to Knights of the Old Republic to Andor.

Topics covered may include (but are by no means limited to) the following:

• Star Wars in history and Star Wars as history.
• Star Wars and industrial change / allegory / crisis.
• The directors, producers, writers, showrunners, game designers etc who have shaped the franchise.
• Star Wars and genre.
• Star Wars and the nature of transmedial storytelling.
• Star Wars, stardom, and performance.
• Puppets, costumes, masks.
• The distinction between the ‘practical’ and the ‘digital’.
• The significance of race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and indigeneity in making and interpreting the franchise.
• Star Wars and critical theory (especially Jameson).
• Star Wars geographies (landscapes, locations, frontiers, cities, and so on).
• Star Wars and extractivism.
• Star Wars and neurodiversity.
• The relationship between scholarship and fandom.

Last updated May 7, 2026

CfP- Speculative Fiction and Criticism in Precarious Times (8/1/2026; Lancaster University 9/18/2026)

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

CFP "Live Long and Prosper": 60 Years of Star Trek in Popular Culture (7/10/2026; Online 9/10-11/2026)

"Live Long and Prosper": 60 Years of Star Trek in Popular Culture

deadline for submissions:
September 10, 2026

full name / name of organization:
The Popular Culture Research Network, University of New England, Australia

contact email:
jo.coghlan@une.edu.au

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/06/13/live-long-and-prosper-60-years-of-star-trek-in-popular-culture



Call for Conference Papers

"Live Long and Prosper": 60 Years of Star Trek in Popular Culture - 10-11 September 2026

Free and Online

The Popular Culture Research Network, Australia

In September 1966, the first episode of Star Trek aired on American television, introducing audiences to a future shaped by exploration, diplomacy, scientific discovery, and the possibility of social progress beyond the limitations of the present.

Created by Gene Roddenberry during the cultural and political turbulence of the Cold War era, Star Trek emerged at a moment defined by civil rights struggles, decolonisation, nuclear anxiety, the space race, and rapid technological transformation. From its earliest years, the franchise articulated an ambitious vision of humanity organised around diplomacy, scientific cooperation, multiculturalism, and collective progress. Yet Star Trek has also long contained tensions and contradictions of its own, including militarisation, liberal humanism, expansionism, technological paternalism, and the limits of utopian politics

Over six decades, Star Trek has become central not only to science fiction history, but to the development of modern television itself. The franchise helped shape syndication culture, fan conventions, transmedia storytelling, blockbuster franchising, streaming-era television, and participatory fandom. It has inspired generations of scientists, engineers, activists, educators, and audiences, while influencing popular conceptions of artificial intelligence, space exploration, communication technologies, automation, ecology, and posthuman futures.

Since Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek universe has expanded to include nine live action series, three animated series, an anthology miniseries, a telemovie, ten prime-universe feature films, and three ‘rebooted’ movies set in an alternative timeline. Through an interplay of prequels, sequels, and all manner of spin-offs, Star Trek has continually re-invented itself in response to changing political, industrial, and technological conditions. Contemporary Star Trek continues to engage with questions surrounding authoritarianism, climate crisis, refugee politics, surveillance, platform capitalism, artificial intelligence governance, political extremism, and ecological collapse, demonstrating the franchise’s enduring relevance within twenty-first-century popular culture.

Sixty years later, Star Trek remains one of the most influential and enduring franchises in global popular culture. Across television, film, animation, novels, comics, games, conventions, merchandising, tourism, podcasts, streaming platforms, and digital fandoms, the franchise has continually evolved while shaping cultural understandings of race, gender, technology, politics, labour, ecology, empire, and ethics. It has done so through imaginings of primarily utopian futures grounded in examinations of the contemporary social dynamics that threaten to prevent such states of flourishing.

In the decades since audiences first heard the words “Space: the final frontier,” Star Trek remains a vital cultural framework through which societies imagine both the possibilities and contradictions of human progress. As Star Trek enters its seventh decade, this project seeks to explore how the franchise continues to shape cultural understandings of humanity, technology, justice, community, labour, ecology, and our future in space.

This conference invites scholars to examine the cultural, political, industrial, philosophical, technological, and aesthetic significance of Star Trek across its sixty-year history. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from media studies, cultural studies, sociology, political science, history, science and technology studies, literary studies, fan studies, philosophy, queer studies, Indigenous studies, disability studies, gender studies, environmental humanities, posthumanism, critical race studies, and related fields.

We particularly encourage submissions engaging with intersectional, global, decolonial, and underexplored perspectives on the franchise and its cultural impact.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Utopianism, dystopianism, heterotopias, and political imagination in Star Trek

• Race, colonialism, frontier ideology, and the Federation

• Indigenous futurisms and decolonial critiques of exploration narratives

• Gender, sexuality, intimacy, and queer futurities

• Representation, exceptionalism, sentience, and recognition

• Dis/ability, neurodivergence, and embodiment

• The limits and frontiers to humanism(s) and posthumanism(s) in Star Trek

• Conlangs, comparative xenoanthropology, and universe building

• Artificial intelligence, androids, holograms, and synthetic life

• Portrayals of the human condition through process, protocol, and organisational dynamics in Star Trek

• The Federation’s ideals in theory and in practice

• Ecology, planetary crisis, extraction, and environmental futures

• Labour, capitalism, automation, and post-scarcity societies

• Platform capitalism, streaming economies, and franchise management

• Cetacean ops, the Captain’s Yacht, and other (mostly) off-screen ‘characters’

• Examining war, militarism, fascism, diplomacy, and surveillance cultures

• Refugee politics, migration, borders, and interspecies relations

• Tribbles

• Klingons, Vulcans, Borg, Romulans, Cardassians, and constructions of alterity

• Scientific, ethical, medical, and technological imagination

• Religion, spirituality, mythology, secularism, and philosophy

• Fashion, costume, prosthetics, design, and material culture

• Foodways, hospitality, consumption, and everyday life in the Star Trek universe

• Architecture, infrastructure, and speculative urbanism

• Music, sound, language, and sonic worldbuilding

• Seriality, episodic storytelling, and television form

• Opening title sequences, visual effects history, and audiovisual aesthetics

• The Okudas, iconography, and Star Trek aesthetics

• Fan cultures, digital fandom, fan fiction, and cosplay

• Spot

• Convention cultures, tourism, and exhibitions

• Fan labour, material fandom, and participatory media

• Global receptions, Cold War politics, and transnational fandoms

• Star Trek and American identity, diplomacy, and soft power

• Memory, nostalgia, heritage, archives, and franchise longevity

• Merchandising, branding, licensing, and corporate franchising

• The cultural legacy of performers such as William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Kate Mulgrew, and others

• Star Trek and contemporary politics, crisis, and social transformation

Please submit abstracts, including a title, of 250 words along with a short biographical note (100 words) to

Submission - https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8jjzaWnS732QsFE

Registration - https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7TGWUYZidtlxVLU

Abstract Deadline: 10 July 2026
Notification of Acceptance: 17 July 2026

Early submissions will receive earlier notification of acceptance.

It is expected that an edited collection with an international publisher will be associated with this Conference. Details will be available at the conference.



Last updated June 13, 2026

CFP GIFCon 2026 - The Technologies of the Fantastic (1/18/2026; Online 5/13-15/2026)

GIFCon 2026 - The Technologies of the Fantastic

deadline for submissions:
January 18, 2026

full name / name of organization:
Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic, University of Glasgow

contact email:
GIFCon@glasgow.ac.uk

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/12/16/gifcon-2026-the-technologies-of-the-fantastic

The Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic is excited to announce the call for papers for Glasgow International Fantasy Conversations (GIFCon) 2026, to be held online on 13-15 May, with the theme of ‘The Technologies of the Fantastic’.

Many addendums have been made over the years to Arthur C. Clarke’s famous third law: ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’ (‘Technology and the Future’), from Professor Barry Gehm’s corollary, ‘any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced’ (Analog) to Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen’s explanatory statement in The Science of Discworld that ‘Technology works because whoever built it in the first place figured out enough of the rules of the universe to make the technology do what was required of it … With magic, in contrast, things work because people want them to’. Such discourse leaves us asking what, if anything, fundamentally separates the technological from the magical?

Though scholars have attempted to clarify the division between science fiction and fantasy by suggesting that the latter is solely concerned with the impossible whilst the former is concerned only with fact, such binaries disregard the foundations of the fantastic prevalent in science fiction, in which ‘the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible’ (Arthur C. Clarke Profiles of the Future). Similarly, the fantastic is filled with the technological. We can find technology in carefully constructed runes and magical glyphs that operate as locks and keys; in the textile metaphors of spell weaving; in the taxonomy of the naming of the wind and waves; and in the engineering of biomechanical monsters piloted by traumatized teens to fight angelic horrors.

This year, GIFCon invites the consideration of the technologies of fantasy, emphasizing those things that are too often overlooked both in the real world and in fantasy, whether through hierarchical practices that limit the definition of the scientific or because ‘technology’ has become so ubiquitous in everyday life.

GIFCon is a three-day virtual conference welcoming proposals from researchers and practitioners working in the fields of fantasy and cognate genres/subgenres across all media, whether from within academia or beyond it. We are particularly interested in submissions from postgraduate and early career researchers, and warmly welcome proposals from researchers whose work focuses on marginalized communities and subjects.

Topics for papers may include, but are not limited to:The rules of magic and magic systems.
The Science-Fantasy genre.
Who are these fantasy worlds made for? What does their magic and technology account for, and who do they overlook?
Nonwestern technologies and colonialist constructions of science in Fantasy.
Exploring Fantastic infrastructures: how cities, buildings, modes of transportation, paths, and worlds are shaped by fantastic interventions/inventions.
How the body (whether human, non-human, posthuman, or something in between) is shaped by technology.
Disability and impairment in fantasy literature.
The relationship between technology, time, and fantasy.
Fantasy as escapism from notions of advancement.
The response to technological growth in fantasy.
Echoes of the real world in technological fantasies: responses, adaptations and critique.
Fantasies created by science practitioners: how real-world science and scientists influence the genre.
Technological dystopias and/or utopias.
The relationship between Ecology and Technology in Fantasy.
Punk Practices: Rethinking technological and social practices through subgenres like cyberpunk, steampunk, or solarpunk.
Queer and Trans Theory approaches: how may queer and trans theory offer insights to the concatenation of the magical and technological?
What is left out in normative narratives of the scientific and technological? How does fantasy disrupt these narratives?

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers, which should be submitted using the proposal form. This form includes a 250-word abstract supplemented by a list of 5 keywords describing your paper and a 100-word biographical note.

We also welcome proposals for roundtables and workshops, consisting of 75-minute interactive online sessions which can be run on any aspect of our conference theme by either an individual or group. Generally, workshops have limited capacities and do not set preliminary reading, but participants sign up in advance and flexibility is possible. We encourage creative responses to the workshop call; please select ‘Workshop/Roundtable’ on the proposal form if you intend to lead a workshop or roundtable session.

The call for papers and workshops closes on Sunday, 18th January 2026 (11:59pm GMT). Please submit your proposal by this time to be considered for participation in GIFCon 2026.


categories
english-education
interdisciplinary
online conferences
popular culture
science and culture

Last updated December 18, 2025

CFP Salem Meets the Noir 2026: First Conference on Hispanic Noir Literature, TV and Film (2/8/2026; Salem, MA

Salem Meets the Noir 2026: First Conference on Hispanic Noir Literature, TV and Film

deadline for submissions:
February 8, 2026

full name / name of organization:
Salem State University

contact email:
salemeetsthenoir@gmail.com

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/10/19/salem-meets-the-noir-2026first-conference-on-hispanic-noir-literature-tv-and-film



This interdisciplinary conference aims to bring together scholars, writers, filmmakers, and students to share the interest and passion for the fictional criminal genre through their participation in panels, roundtables, workshops, film screenings, and curated cultural events in historic Salem.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Noir and the Gothic
• The Terrain of Rural Noir
• Motherhood, family and the Noir Domestic
• Noir, colonization, and Post Colonial Crime
• Noir in the Age of Global Neoliberalism
• Gendered Investigations and Female Agency
• Justice Reimagined: Interrogating Law, Order, Worlds
• Queer identities and LGBTQ+ Themes inNoir
• Border Spaces and Transnational Crime
• Adaptation Across Media (Film, TV, Graphic Novels, Podcasts)
• Masculinities in crises and Gender Fluid Reconfigurations
• Noir and Economic Trauma

We welcome proposals for individual submissions, round-table discussions or thematically aligned panels of speakers (20-minute presentations). Abstracts (max. 250 words) and brief biographical note (max. 150 words) should be submitted by no later than February 8, 2026. We will respond to applications no later than February 22, 2026.

Please find the full CFP,

CFP Salem Meets the Noir



Last updated December 7, 2025

CFP In a Conference Far, Far Away…Traversing Forms of the Folkloric (3/1/2026; New York 5/1/2026)

In a Conference Far, Far Away…Traversing Forms of the Folkloric

deadline for submissions:
March 1, 2026

full name / name of organization:
NYU Comparative Literature Graduate Conference

contact email:
nyufolkloreconference@gmail.com

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/12/15/in-a-conference-far-far-away%E2%80%A6traversing-forms-of-the-folkloric

In a Conference Far, Far Away…Traversing Forms of the Folkloric (Graduate Student Conference)



New York University: Friday, May 1, 2026



Since its formation in the nineteenth century, Folklore Studies has been seen as an inherently comparative and interdisciplinary field to the point where some are left wondering whether it would be better housed as a subfield of anthropology, ethnography, or literary studies. Part of the reason for this uncertainty may lie in both the breadth of materials categorized as relating to folklore studies (oral or written folk tales, myths, songs, jokes, articles of clothing, etc.) as well as the longstanding difficulty of defining “folklore” itself.



“In a Conference Far, Far Away,” brings together graduate students to present work that engages with and problematizes the category of folklore. We invite graduate students (MA, MFA, and PhD) to submit proposals for 15-20 minute presentations that explore and critically reflect on the myriad dimensions of the folkloric.



Organized by NYU’s Comparative Literature Department, with the aim of fostering interdisciplinary conversations, we welcome submissions from a variety of fields and disciplines. Topics may include, but are not limited to:


Memory

Oral history and embodied history

Speculative fiction (horror, fantasy, science fiction, apocalypse, etc.)

Mythos, magic, and fairy tales

Revolution

Repression of folklore

Adaptation, repetition, and appropriation

Material cultures

Museum studies

Religion

Ritual and performance

Musicology

Nostalgia

Nationalism

Eco-criticism



Please submit an abstract of 250 words and a short bio of 100 words to nyufolkloreconference@gmail.com by March 1, 2026.

Participants will be notified by April 1, 2026. We look forward to reading your proposals.



Last updated December 18, 2025

CFP Science Fiction and Fantasy - Tennessee Philological Association Annual Conference (1/23/2026; Henderson, TN 2/26-28/2026)

CFP: Science Fiction and Fantasy - Tennessee Philological Association Annual Conference

deadline for submissions:
January 23, 2026

full name / name of organization:
Tennessee Philological Association

contact email:
nich.krause@auburn.edu

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/01/09/cfp-science-fiction-and-fantasy-tennessee-philological-association-annual-conference

February, 26-28, 2026 at Freed-Hardeman University

The Tennessee Philological Association (TPA) is now accepting submissions for the 2026 Conference to be held at Freed-Hardeman University February 26-28, 2026.

TPA welcomes submissions on any subject in literature, creative writing, English pedagogy, and diverse media. Abstracts for papers dealing with any aspect of literature, creative writing, language, and linguistics (including foreign languages) should be no more than 250 words. Papers must be kept to a twenty-minute reading time not to exceed ten pages. Papers should be read in English. Panel proposals (three to five members) should be no more than two pages. Panels are for one-hour sessions, should be on theme, and should not merely consist of multiple papers pre-grouped. Panels which do not follow these guidelines will be broken up. Graduate and Undergraduate submissions should email their completed papers to Official.TPA.Secretary@outlook.com at the time of their submission. All participants whether reading a paper, taking part in a panel discussion, or attending as a guest must complete a registration. Those who do no will not be allowed to participate.

Themed Call: Science Fiction and Fantasy

*Papers addressing this year's theme are eligible for consideration for publicatior in the TPA Bulletin.*

The Tennessee Philological Association invites proposals for papers, panels, workshops, and roundtables for our upcoming annual conference. This year's theme: "Science Fiction & Fantasy." We welcome submissions that investigate how science fiction and fantasy texts--across eras, cultures, and media-shape--challenge, and expand our understanding of language, narrative, and the human experience. We hope to see your insights on "the fiction of ideas" (Bradbury) and the "heightening of reality" (Le Guin) and to help us to explore the worlds we can never visit and the ones we never want to leave. From Tolkien to Dinniman, from Butler to Garber, take us on an adventure we will not soon forget.

Deadline for Consideration: January 23, 2026

You may use this link for registering and submitting your abstract: https://forms.gle/k27QFhB324XRHAyX6.



Last updated January 9, 2026

CFP International Congress on Fantastic Genre, Audiovisuals and New Technologies (9/21/2025; Spain/Online 11/19-21/2025)

VIII INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF FANTASTIC GENRE, AUDIOVISUALS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES

deadline for submissions:
September 21, 2025

full name / name of organization:
FANTAELX

contact email:
congreso@festivalcinefantaelx.com

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/06/30/viii-international-congress-of-fantastic-genre-audiovisuals-and-new-technologies

The VIII edition of the Congress will take place on November 19, 20 and 21, 2025 in the Auditorium of the Congress Centre “Ciutat d’Elx” (Spain) (in person format), and via our website (online format). There are 3 participation options:

> Option 1: In this modality, the proposals of the Communications will follow the main thematic line of the new edition of the Congress and the Festival: Japan and its imprint on the Fantastic Genre.

> Option 2: In this modality, the abstracts will follow the generic thematic line of the Congress: The Fantastic Genre and its possible interconnection with the different platforms of culture, audiovisual and new technologies.

> Option 3: In this modality, abstracts submitted will follow the following thematic line: Visual arts and digital culture.

Accepted Communications in the Congress will include:

OPTION 1:

1) Presentation of the paper at the Congress (online or in person).
2) Certificate of Communication and Attendance.
3) Proceedings book with ISBN.
4) Academic publication in the publishing house Tirant Lo Blanch (1st in the absolute General Index of SPI) with a book chapter in Spanish and on paper with ISBN and delivery of the book on paper.


OPTION 2:

1) Presentation of the paper at the Congress (online or in person).
2) Certificate of Communication and Attendance.
3) Proceedings book with ISBN.
4) Academic publication in Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca (first quartile in the absolute General Index of SPI) with digital book chapter in Spanish with ISBN.

OPTION 3:

1) Presentation of the paper at the Congress (online or in person).
2) Certificate of Communication and Attendance.
3) Proceedings book with ISBN.
4) 4) Academic publication in Peter Lang publishing house (7th in the absolute General Index of SPI in Foreign Publishers) with book chapter in English and on paper with ISBN and delivery of the book on paper.

SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 21 September 2025 (included).

For further information, please visit: https://www.festivalcinefantaelx.com/en/congress-call-for-papers/


Last updated July 3, 2025

CFP Fan Studies Network North America (FSNNA) 2025 conference (5/16/2025; online 10/23-26/2025)

Fan Studies Network North America (FSNNA) 2025 conference

deadline for submissions: 

May 16, 2025

full name / name of organization: 

Fan Studies Network North America (FSNNA)

contact email: 

fsnna.conference@gmail.com

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/05/05/fan-studies-network-north-america-fsnna-2025-conference

Get Ready – CFP for FSNNA 2025! Call for Participation

Fan Studies Network North America Conference 2025 (virtual)

October 23-26, 2025

 

REPUTATION: Influence, Power, and Capital

FSNNA Annual Conference 2025

When fan studies first emerged as an undisciplined discipline, fandom was more of a niche activity whose practices (and even existence) still had to be explained to a general readership. Today though, fandom is a widely recognized phenomenon, a frame of reference for popular culture, and a desirable market demographic for new cultural products like music, films, and games. These broader cultural shifts are often mirrored within fandom itself: experienced fans observe that multifandom peers move from interest to interest faster, while new fans might enter fandom(s) without any knowledge of community norms. 

As participation in fandom has broadened, changing fan experiences and fan cultures, many reckon with questions about what it means to be in fandom and to be a fan today. While most seem to embrace and accept the idea that fandom can be fun, there’s a shared sense that it is also so much more. But what does that entail? Is fandom a form of activism? Slacktivism? Representation? Social justice work? Moral stance? Popularity contest? Some combination thereof?

As we consider the shifting understandings and reputations of fandom(s), fan studies has much to offer. Who holds the most influence? Who wields what kinds of power? How do social, subcultural, and financial capital intersect with grassroots activity and forms of production? And how does all of this change fandom in turn? 

As this conference enters its eighth year, FSNNA invites proposals exploring these avenues into fandom and fan studies. We are especially interested in work that considers how fan communities, activities, and works interact or engage with the reputation of fandom itself – for better, for worse, or for both. 

Submissions for the 2025 FSNNA Conference

Fan Studies Network North America (FSNNA) warmly welcomes submissions from early career researchers, graduate students, and independent scholars, as well as established scholars. (This year, we’re also offering a track specifically for undergraduate students: check out the parallel cfp HERE!) Contributions are welcomed from across disciplines, not just fan studies: we are interested in work from media studies, the humanities, the social sciences, library science, and more.

Some topics that we hope to see submissions for include (but are not limited to!):

• Capital and fandom participation: financial/economic capital, social capital, cultural capital, etc. 
• Influence in fandom: parasocial relationships, BNFs, microcelebrities, 
• Power in fandom: politics, policing, gatekeeping; who speaks, creates, listens, learns  
• Having a platform: platform migration, features, community roles, moderation
• Intersectional identities: fans, fan-creators, performers, authors, actors
• Antagonisms and Fandom: the changing language and nature of “anti-fandom” 
• Fandom during crisis: in continuing “post-Covid” era, during rise of global fascism, during online platform precarity
• Internal and external perceptions of fandom: media representations, stigmatization, celebration, misinformation

This work may focus on specific media texts (e.g., film, television, print texts/series, games, video streaming, etc.) or other fan-objects (e.g., sports, music, celebrity culture, etc.). Alternatively, it may consider specific national or regional contexts, theoretical approaches to studying fandom, investigations of fanwork genres or fan practices, and more.

Format of the 2025 Conference

FSNNA 2025 is once again a discussion-focused online conference with accessibility, interdisciplinarity, and global participation at its heart. However, based on participant feedback from previous years, we are moving towards a format that allows for longer conference presentations of roughly 10-15 minutes apiece. Essentially, you can choose one of two options. 

1. Presentation Track (Roundtable Talk + Poster)

Participants on the presentation track will be grouped into roundtables based on overlapping objects, approaches, methods, or themes. Each presenter will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and explore their work for 10-15 minutes, followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A with the audience.

Participants will also prepare a digital poster summarizing their research contribution. (More specific guidelines about poster formats will be available after submissions are evaluated.)

2. Poster Track (Poster ONLY) 

Participants on the poster track will prepare a digital poster summarizing their research contribution. They will not be assigned to a roundtable or introduce their work during a talk. 

All posters from both tracks will be available asynchronously throughout the conference in our Discord server, where attendees can post questions and share feedback.

PLEASE NOTE: As part of your application, you will be asked to stipulate which track you are applying for – presentations or poster only. Likewise, once a submission is accepted, the participation format cannot be changed (i.e., you cannot move from poster only to presentation, or vice versa).  

As in past years, we also welcome the submission of pre-constituted roundtables, which are a group of 3-5 talks that are already organized around a shared topic, text, and/or method. Please note, however, that participants in a pre-constituted roundtable must still contribute posters.

Submissions are due by Friday, May 16.

Submission Details

Ready to submit your work for FSNNA 2025? Here’s what the application form will ask for: 

• An abstract of ~300 words (include a clear explanation of your research, methods, and the project’s relevance to fan studies and fan studies scholars)
• 3-5 keywords about your poster (may include topics, texts, theories, methods, etc.)
• A bibliography of 3–5 references
• A biographical statement (~50 words)

Get Ready for the 2025 Conference!

We’re excited to consider your work for the 2025 FSNNA conference! We also encourage you to check out a new offering this year: a parallel cfp for undergraduates interested in presenting their fan studies work at FSNNA.

Still have a question? Please feel free to contact us at fsnna.conference@gmail.com.

Ready to submit your work? Visit our submission form HERE

(Or if the link above doesn’t work, copy and paste this into your browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtiTvsJS6_dIOdAGyfjeVM-_i7QGwOhi3ICmLHfWfRYRrlGA/viewform?usp=sharing)

Last updated May 5, 2025

CFP “Living in a Material World”: The 1980s in Popular Culture (7/31/2026; PopCRN 11/26-27/2026)

“Living in a Material World”: The 1980s in Popular Culture
deadline for submissions: July 31, 2026

full name / name of organization: 

PopCRN - The Popular Culture Research Network

contact email: 

popcrn@une.edu.au

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/02/%E2%80%9Cliving-in-a-material-world%E2%80%9D-the-1980s-in-popular-culture.

Call for Papers

“Living in a Material World”: The 1980s in Popular Culture

 

PopCRN (the Popular Culture Network) will be holding a free virtual symposium exploring the 1980s in popular culture to be held 26-27 November 2026.

The 1980s was the decade of excess, technological innovation, and political upheaval. This conference aims to explore both the popular culture of the 1980s and how the 1980s have been depicted in the popular culture of other eras.

The 1980s was the era of MTV, the personal computer, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of neoliberalism, Live Aid, the Falklands War, the Iran-Contra affair, the assassination of John Lennon, the AIDS crisis, Chernobyl, the end of the Cold War, the birth of hip-hop, Madonna’s Like a Virgin, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the Walkman, Rubik’s Cubes, shoulder pads, punk, glam metal, synthesizers, VHS tapes, The Breakfast Club, Top Gun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Blade Runner, Pac-Man, the Challenger disaster, the rise of video game culture, The Simpsons, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 24-hour news networks, the invention of the World Wide Web, the election of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, the Tiananmen Square protests, the creation of CNN, the rise of Japanese consumer technology, the Space Shuttle program, the rise of Wall Street culture, yuppies, the DeLorean, New Romanticism, breakdancing, Miami Vice, The Cosby Show, He-Man, Transformers, the emergence of cyberpunk, Ghostbusters, The Goonies, Nintendo, Trivial Pursuit, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and many more.

We welcome papers from researchers across the academic spectrum and encourage submissions from postgraduate and early career researchers. We also welcome submissions for papers, panels and round tables. Papers from this conference will have the opportunity to be published in an edited book.

To whet your appetite, we have provided some topics below. We will also accept topics beyond this scope:

• "Greed is good." – The financial excess and corporate culture of the 1980s.
• "I want my MTV." – The rise of music television and the visualisation of pop music.
• "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." – Gender, romance, and independence in 1980s film.
• "I pity the fool!" – The rise of wrestling, action heroes, and hyper-masculinity.
• "Do you really want to hurt me?" – LGBTQ+ identities and culture in the 1980s.
• “The dream is alive.”– The Space Shuttle program and its impact on popular imagination.
• "Gotta catch ‘em all!" – Toys, video games, and marketing to children in the 1980s.
• "This is your brain on drugs." – The War on Drugs and moral panics.
• "We’re not gonna take it!" – Punk, rebellion, and counterculture.
• "Tear down this wall!" – The Cold War in popular culture.
• "The computer is personal." – The rise of home computing and digital culture.
• "The more you know." – Education, media, and the spread of information in the 1980s.
• "Life moves pretty fast." – Youth culture and coming-of-age narratives in 1980s cinema.
• "I ain’t afraid of no ghosts!" – Science fiction, horror, and the supernatural in 1980s media.
• "Power dressing." – Fashion, materialism, and aesthetics of the decade.

Please submit by your proposed abstract by 31st July 2026

• Submit here - https://tinyurl.com/2hyksxn8
• Register here - tinyurl.com/mrxeys35
• Queries to popcrn@une.edu.au

Stay up to date with PopCRN on our social pages & website

• www.popcrn.org
• X (ex-Twitter) - https://twitter.com/PopcultureUne
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071540522655
• Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/popcrn.bsky.social
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14503409/

Last updated April 3, 2025

CFP Child's Play in Popular Culture: History, representations and consumption (11/30/2025; PopCRN 4/30-5/1/2026)

Of potential interest:

Child's Play in Popular Culture: History, representations and consumption

deadline for submissions: 

November 30, 2025

full name / name of organization: 

PopCRN - The Popular Culture Research Network

contact email: 

popcrn@une.edu.au

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/01/childs-play-in-popular-culture-history-representations-and-consumption.

Call for Papers

Child's Play in Popular Culture: History, representations and consumption

PopCRN – The Popular Culture Network invites scholars to explore the diverse representations of childhood in popular culture at a virtual symposium to be held online on 30 April – 1 May 2026.

From dolls and board games to digital playgrounds and interactive media, the concept of play has been a defining aspect of childhood across cultures and historical periods. Popular culture has both shaped and been shaped by children’s play, reflecting broader societal values, anxieties, and technological advancements.

This conference, Child’s Play in Popular Culture: History, Representations, and Consumption, invites scholars, researchers, and practitioners to explore the multifaceted ways in which play is constructed, represented, and consumed in popular media and culture.

We welcome papers from researchers across the academic spectrum and encourage submissions from postgraduate and early career researchers. Presenters will have the opportunity to submit their work for consideration in a refereed book publication.

Topics can include, but are not restricted to:

• "Life must be lived as play." – The history of children’s games and toys in popular culture
• "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." –Representations of play in literature, film, television, and digital media
• "Play is the highest form of research." - Play and pedagogy: the intersection of entertainment and education
• "Toys are put on this Earth to be played with by a child." – Commercialization and commodification of childhood through toys and games
• "Girls can do anything!" –Gender, race, and class in play culture
• "The future of play is digital." – The influence of technology on play: from board games to virtual worlds
• "Adults are only kids grown up, anyway." – Fan cultures, nostalgia, and adult engagement with childhood play
• "It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt." – Risk, danger, and moral panics around children’s play
• "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." – Play as resistance: subversive and transgressive forms of play
• "The world’s playgrounds are as diverse as its cultures." – Global and cross-cultural perspectives on child’s play in popular culture

Please submit by your proposed abstract by 30th November 2025

• Submit here - https://tinyurl.com/2hyksxn8
• Register here - tinyurl.com/mrxeys35
• Queries to popcrn@une.edu.au

Stay up to date with PopCRN on our social pages & website

• www.popcrn.org
• X (ex-Twitter) - https://twitter.com/PopcultureUne
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071540522655
• Bluesky  - https://bsky.app/profile/popcrn.bsky.social
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14503409/

Last updated April 3, 2025

CFP 2025 Conference of The Incredible Nineteenth Century: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Fairy Tale (3/28/2025; online 5/2-3/2025)

 

2025 Conference of The Incredible Nineteenth Century: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Fairy Tale

deadline for submissions: 

March 28, 2025

full name / name of organization: 

The Incredible Nineteenth Century: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Fairy Tale

contact email: 

i19@mtsu.edu

Our third annual conference on May 2-3 via Zoom! This online conference is free to attend. Please use this link to register to present or attend: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSiuxTNYFJPUPxF1gAdfH1pQthfjig...

Submissions may cover any aspect of literature, film, or art related to science fiction, fantasy, or fairy tale in the Long Nineteenth Century (approximately 1789 to 1918). Also welcome are presentations on tv, film, and video game adaptations of nineteenth-century texts, or on works that re-envision the nineteenth century through science fiction or fantasy. Submissions to present are due by March 28.

Our keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Ann Schmiesing of the University of Colorado. She is the author of the recent book, _The Brothers Grimm: A Biography_.

Last updated January 25, 2025

CFP 2025 Cultural Studies Association (CSA) Annual Conference: Imaginary Futures: Utopias, Dystopias & Protopias of Cultural Studies (2/23/2025; Valencia, CA 5/29-31/2025)

 

2025 Cultural Studies Association (CSA) Annual Conference: Imaginary Futures: Utopias, Dystopias & Protopias of Cultural Studies

deadline for submissions: 

February 23, 2025

full name / name of organization: 

Cultural Studies Association

contact email: 

admin@culturalstudiesassociation.org

source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2024/12/08/2025-cultural-studies-association-csa-annual-conference-imaginary-futures-utopias.

2025 Cultural Studies Association (CSA) Annual Conference: Imaginary Futures: Utopias, Dystopias & Protopias of Cultural Studies 
May 29 - 31, 2025
​California Institute of the Arts–Valencia, California
Deadline for Submissions: Sunday, February 23, 2025, 11:59 pm EST
Registration

​The Cultural Studies Association (CSA) invites proposals for participation in its twenty-third annual  meeting, which will be held, in person, at California Institute of the Arts  in the city of Valencia, California.  Proposals on all topics relevant to cultural studies will be considered, with priority given to those that engage this year's theme, Imaginary Futures: Utopias, Dystopias & Protopias of Cultural Studies.

How can we as cultural studies scholars make sense of different possibilities for the future, through both optimistic and pessimistic lenses, and the ways in which culture shapes those possibilities? And to what extent can theoretical imaginings structure praxis and make actual these potential futures? The keywords provided by this year’s theme offer some directions: While a utopia denotes a static state of cultural and political perfection—a society when it has become as good as it possibly can get—a dystopia can be defined as a space wherein people are stuck in a kind of recurring pattern of suffering. Alongside these more familiar framings, to what extent can cultural studies imagine a protopian world-in-becoming: a more carefully stated dream of transformation that involves not only making visible existing potentials, possibilities, and capacities, but also actualizing those mutually desirable potentials to reduce social harms and enhance human dignity?  

Through this year’s theme, we encourage submissions that explore the production and consumption of future imaginaries, and/or how future imaginaries intersect with lived material conditions, cultural practices, or other major discourses. In doing so, we embrace the call for a “futurist cultural studies” (Powers 2020), one that acknowledges both the possibilities for emancipatory progress, and the consequences of failure to achieve that progress. 
POSSIBLE TOPICS INCLUDE:

• Another World is Possible? The Political Afterlives of Anti- and Alter-globalization
• Utopian pasts/Dystopian futures
• Dystopian pasts/Utopian futures
• Queer utopias and hopeful failures
• Experimental communities & applied utopias 
• Manifestos and declarations
• Postracial rhetorics and racist dreams
• Afrofuturism, Sinofuturism, & identity-based futures
• “Never again” & genocide’s eternal return
• Decolonizing utopia
• Climate futures: Narratives of hope & despair 
• “The singularity” and other AI dystopias 
• Pessimism/nihilism: negating the future
• Portrayals of utopian, dystopian, protopian futures in popular media
• The future of/in cultural studies

All proposals should be submitted through Easy Chair using the following link: 
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=csa2025

CONFERENCE FORMAT
This year, the annual Cultural Studies Association Conference will be held in person. While we acknowledge the limitations presented by in person sessions, we also maintain the importance of community, collegiality, and mutual support that in person conferences offer within professional organizations.To allow for both the benefits of an in-person conference and the expanded access of an online conference, the CSA plans to maintain an alternating, biennial structure of in-person conferences (on odd years) and online conferences (on even years). 

TRAVEL AND LODGING

Airports:
There are several easy ways to travel between local Southern California airports and the CalArts campus. In addition to ridesharing apps such as Lyft and Uber, there are direct shuttle services available through Prime Time Shuttle, 800-733-8267; and Super Shuttle, 800-258-3826. These shuttles service both Burbank Airport and Los Angeles International Airport and are available by reservation, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The LAX Flyaway Service is a 24-hour bus service that operates between Los Angeles International Airport and LA Union Station, Van Nuys, Hollywood, and Westwood/UCLA. For LAX FlyAway locations, schedules, service hours, parking, passenger drop-off/pick-up, and driving directions, go to the LAX FlyAway web page or call 866-435-9529. The Van Nuys route, which is located the closest to CalArts, at approximately 16 miles, does not accept cash, only credit card or bank card payment.

Buses: Santa Clarita Transit services the Santa Clarita area, including Valencia, Newhall, Saugus, Canyon Country, and Sylmar. There are also express buses to the San Fernando Valley and into Los Angeles, with extra service during morning and afternoon rush hour service. For bus schedules, call 661-294-1287 or visit www.santaclaritatransit.com. MTA (Metro) services the greater Los Angeles area, and has routes throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Please note that MTA buses are accessed in the San Fernando Valley, either using the Santa Clarita Transit buses, the Metrolink train, or car to get there. For more information, call 800-COMMUTE (266-6883) or visit www.mta.net.

Hotels: Recommendations through CalArts can be viewed HERE. Be sure to ask if they have a “CalArts rate.”

SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION

●    Friday, December 6, 2024: Submission System Open 
●    Friday, December 6 , 2024 until Friday, April 4, 2025:  Early Bird Registration
●    Sunday, February 23, 2025: Final Deadline for Submissions
●    Friday, March 7, 2025: Notifications sent out
●    Friday, April 4, 2025: Early Registration Ends, Regular Registration Rate Begins
●    Friday, May 9, 2025: Last day to register to participate in the conference. If you do not register by this date and are not a current member, your name will be dropped from the program.

REGISTRATION: In order to participate in the conference and be listed in the program, all those accepted to participate must register before Friday, May 9, 2025. Remember: registration for the conference and membership in the CSA are combined transactions. All proposals should be submitted through Easy Chair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=csa2025
Make sure to create and/or log in to your Easy Chair account before you attempt to submit. Please prepare all the materials required to propose your session according to the given directions before you begin electronic submission. All program information--names, presentation titles, and institutional affiliations--will be based on initial conference submissions. Please avoid lengthy presentation and session titles, use normal capitalization and standard fonts, and include your name and affiliations as you would like them to appear on the conference program schedule.

INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIPS include individual memberships for up to seven affiliate faculty, staff and students at member institutions. Graduate students who wish to submit proposals are strongly encouraged to speak with their Department Chair or Program Director about institutional membership and where possible, make use of the complimentary individual memberships and reduced registration rates. Full benefits of institutional membership see: http://www.culturalstudiesassociation.org/institutions.

SUBMISSION FORMATS: 
All sessions are 90 minutes long. All conference formats are intended to encourage the presentation and discussion of projects at different stages of development and to foster intellectual exchange and collaboration. Please feel free to adapt the suggested formats or propose others in order to suit your session’s goals. 

The CSA aims to provide multiple and diverse spaces for the cross-pollination of art, activism, pedagogy, design, and research by bringing together participants from a variety of positions inside and outside the university. While we welcome traditional academic papers and panels, we also encourage contributions that experiment with alternative formats and intervene in the traditional disciplinary formations and exclusionary conceptions and practices of the academic. We are particularly interested in proposals for sessions designed to document and advance existing forms of collective action or catalyze new collaborations. We encourage submissions from individuals working beyond the boundaries of the university: artists, activists, educators, independent scholars, professionals, and community organizers.

Further information regarding various session formats can be found below. If you have any questions, please address them to Michelle Fehsenfeld at: admin@culturalstudiesassociation.org 

• WORKING GROUP SESSIONS: CSA has a number of ongoing working groups. Working Group submissions can either be an individual paper or pre-constituted panel and must be made through CSA’s online EasyChair submission portal. Choose either the Working Group Panel or Working Group Paper tracks, complete the submission information, and choose the appropriate working group from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. For more information see: https://www.culturalstudiesassociation.org/working-groups.html
• PRE-CONSTITUTED PAPER PANELS: Pre-constituted panels allow 3-4 individuals to offer 15-20 minute presentations, leaving 30-45 minutes of the session for discussion. Panels should have a chair/moderator and may have a discussant. Proposals must include a description of the panel's topic (<500 words); and abstracts for each presentation (<150 words). 
• INDIVIDUAL PAPERS: Individuals may submit a proposal to present a 15-20 minute paper. Selected papers will be combined into panels at the discretion of the Program Committee. Submissions must include an abstract of the paper (<500 words).
• ROUNDTABLES: Roundtables allow a group of participants to convene with the goal of generating discussion around a shared concern. In contrast to panels, roundtables typically involve shorter position or dialogue statements (5-10 minutes) in response to questions distributed in advance by the organizer. The majority of roundtable sessions should be devoted to discussion. Proposals for roundtables must include a description of the position statements, questions, or debates that will be under discussion (<500 words).
• PRAXIS SESSIONS: Praxis sessions allow a facilitator or facilitating team to set an agenda, pose opening questions, and/or organize hands-on participant activities, collaborations, or skill-shares. Successful praxis sessions will be organized around a specific objective, productively engage a cultural studies audience, and orient itself towards participants with minimal knowledge of the subject matter. Sessions organized around the development of ongoing creative, artistic, and activist projects are highly encouraged. Proposals for praxis sessions must include a brief statement explaining the session’s connection to the conference theme and describing the activities to be undertaken (<500 words) and a short description of the session (<150 words) to appear in the conference program. 
• MEET THE AUTHOR: Meet the Author Sessions are designed to bring authors of recent books deemed to be important contributions to the field of cultural studies together with discussants selected to provide different viewpoints. Books published one to three years before the conference are eligible for nomination. Only CSA members may submit nominations. Self-nominations are not accepted.
• MAKE(R) SPACE: The Make(r) Space is a space for the collaborative and praxis driven portions of Cultural Studies – making space for art, making space for political activism, making space for new modes of knowledge exchange. It is our goal that this space will be created for those that have been historically and systemically left out of these conversations: artists, activists, poets, and other cultural critics and makers. We want to create a space that helps the CSA fulfill some of the implicit praxis portion of its goals to “create and promote an effective community of cultural studies practitioners and scholars.” Building on the poets, dancers, painters, and activists already interested in the space, we welcome proposals for exhibits, performances, workshops, skill shares, story telling, and other ways of meaning-making and art-making in the world that consider the theme of “Imaginary Futures” We especially encourage Make(r) Space submissions from individuals working beyond the boundaries of the university: artists, activists, independent scholars, professionals, community organizers, contingent faculty, and community college educators. Please email Make(r)Space submissions by February 23, 2025 to: admin@culturalstudiesassociation.org. 

• LATERAL WORKSHOP: Lateral, the journal of the Cultural Studies Association, invites submissions of emerging work for constructive feedback with the Lateral editors at the Cultural Studies Association 2025 Conference. If you are interested in being considered for the workshop merely check “yes” when prompted to do so in Easychair and, if accepted to the conference, you will also automatically be considered for the workshop. We especially invite participation from junior scholars, graduate students, and those working beyond the bounds of the university, as well as those who intend to eventually submit their work to Lateral (workshop papers that are later submitted to the journal will undergo regular editorial and peer review). Those interested in participating will be notified of their acceptance into the workshop in March, and complete drafts of articles (approximately 4,000–9,000 words in length) will be due two weeks before the conference. Strong submissions will situate their considerations of cultural practices, critical theories, and/or pedagogies within established and emerging conversations in cultural studies. Prospective workshop participants should submit abstracts (no more than 500 words) or draft articles through the submission system by the deadline for submissions.

categories

african-american

cultural studies and historical approaches

interdisciplinary

popular culture

twentieth century and beyond

Last updated December 15, 2024