[ecrea] Call for Papers: Reading 'Girls'

*Call for Papers – Edited Book*

Title: Reading /Girls /

Abstract submission deadline: 1 June 2015

Editors: Meredith Nash and Imelda Whelehan, University of Tasmania

Email: (girlsedited /at/ gmail.com)

Premiering on HBO to critical acclaim in 2012, Lena Dunham’s cable
television series /Girls /is a candid and comical look at the lives of
four young women living in Brooklyn, New York. Following in the
footsteps of the earlier post-feminist, woman-centred television series,
/Sex and the City /(/SATC/), /Girls /explores numerous feminist themes
centring on an exploration of what it is like to be a white New York
woman. However, compared to /SATC/, the show is a coming-of-age story
with the characters awkwardly hovering between adolescence and adulthood.

Although the title /Girls /perhaps symbolises a post-feminist
sensibility, its appearance in the opening credits in bold uppercase
lettering subverts the pejorative nature of the word “girl” and
demonstrates a knowing irony that permeates the show and perhaps an
unwillingness to leave feminism behind so easily. Yet questions remain:
Who are the ‘girls’? And what do they stand for? Where does feminism fit
into the show?

Whether a fan or a critic, the show has generated an enormous amount of
discussion and controversy in the global media. We are interested in
chapters that draw on feminist/gender studies perspectives to respond to
and discuss:

· any aspect of the show (Seasons 1-4) · comparisons between /Girls /and
other woman-centred TV shows ·public controversies raised by the show
· Lena Dunham as the show’s creator/writer/director/producer

Possible chapter topics include: · Female/male friendship
· Bodies/embodiment · Feminism/postfeminism ·Sex/Sexuality

· Mental health· Race/Ethnicity/privilege · Self-entitlement · Social
class/post-recession · Narrative ·Consumerism
· Work/employment/underemployment · Satire · Confessional
writing/Memoir/diaries ·Millennial femininities · Digital feminisms
· Reproductive ‘choices’ · Sex/romance
· Masculinities/femininities· Third wave/girl power/digital activism
· Second wave feminism/personal is political · Intertextual postfeminism
· Feminist hauntings

We have had interest in this collection from two high-profile global
publishers and we anticipate signing a contract shortly after the
contributor list is finalised. Interested authors are invited to submit
chapter proposals (approx. 300 words) and a short biographical sketch by
1 June 2015. If accepted, final submissions of no more than 6,500 words
(including notes and references) must be submitted by 15 December 2015.
Please send abstracts or queries directly to: (girlsedited /at/ gmail.com)

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