[ecrea] CfP: Sex and Sexualities in Popular Culture: Feminist Perspectives - one-day postgraduate symposium

*Sex and Sexualities in Popular Culture: Feminist Perspectives*


Call for Papers for a 1-day postgraduate symposium hosted by the Digital
Cultures Research Centre


Abstract deadline: September 27th, 2015


Conference date and location: November 7th, 2015, Digital Cultures
Research Centre, The Watershed, Bristol


Eligibility: Postgraduate students (MA/MSc onwards) and creative
practitioners


Send abstracts to: (milena2.popova /at/ live.uwe.ac.uk)
<mailto:(milena2.popova /at/ live.uwe.ac.uk)>and (bethanvjones /at/ hotmail.com)
<mailto:(bethanvjones /at/ hotmail.com)>



Popular culture, as can be seen through the GamerGate controversy for
one example, has a profound impact on feminist issues and discourses.
Representations of sex and sexualities influence public opinion and
individual attitudes and perceptions. Discussions - in both media and
academia - are continuing to take place about the impact of Fifty
Shades, sexism and misogyny in computer game and comic book fandom, the
sexualisation of girls and the sexual desires of both young and adult
women. Moral panics abound surrounding Fifty Shadesand the “irrational”
behaviour of One Directionfans, while LGBTQIA+ identities and
sexualities are often represented tokenistically at best. Creative
practitioners can easily come under fire for poor representations of sex
and sexualities, as evidenced most recently by the reception of Joss
Whedon's treatment of Black Widow in The Avengers: Age of Ultron;
equally they can be celebrated for their efforts, as was the case with
BioWare's inclusion of a consent negotiation scene in Dragon Age:
Inquisition.


This one-day symposium will open up debates and explore the nuances of
sex and sexualities within popular culture and will afford a platform
for postgraduate students (MA/MSc onwards) and creative practitioners
exploring these areas to meet peers, share work and learn from each
other. We aim to create a space safe for experimentation - both with new
ideas and with presentation formats. We therefore encourage a range of
submissions, including workshops, discussions, pecha kucha, as well as
the traditional 20-minute paper format.


Possible topics include but are not limited to:


- Representations of women's desire and sexualities in popular culture

- Non-cis- and heteronormative sexualities in popular culture,
especially beyond "gay and lesbian"

- Representations of sex work

- Infertility and sexual dysfunction

- Sexual intersections: race, disability, religion, class and
socioeconomic status, gender

- Sex and sexualities in gaming

- Sexual pleasure in popular culture

- Invisibility: (a)sexualities unrepresented

- Sex, sexualities and social media

- Sex and sexualities in fan and transformative works


Please submit a 300-word abstract and a 100-word bio to
(milena2.popova /at/ live.uwe.ac.uk) <mailto:(milena2.popova /at/ live.uwe.ac.uk)>and
(bethanvjones /at/ hotmail.com) <mailto:(bethanvjones /at/ hotmail.com)>by September
27th, 2015.



Thanks

Bethan & Milena




Milena Popova
PhD Researcher
Digital Cultures Research Centre
University of the West of England, Bristol
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