[ecrea] CFP – Looking into the Upside Down: Investigating Stranger Things

*Call for Papers – Looking into the Upside Down: Investigating /Stranger 
Things/*

*One Day Symposium at the School of Media and Communication, University 
of Leeds*

*Confirmed Keynote Speakers:*

*Professor Matt Hills, University of Huddersfield*

*Dr Sorcha Ní Fhlainn, Manchester Metropolitan University*

**

*Friday 14^th December, 2018*

**

Heavily inspired by science fiction, horror and ‘coming of age’ 
narratives from the 1980s, Netflix’s /Stranger Things /(2016-)//follows 
the supernatural adventures of four young teenage boys; Mike (Finn 
Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin 
(Gaten Matarazzo). The boys come across a girl with telekinetic powers, 
named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who has escaped from the government 
run Hawkins Laboratory. They reveal the dark intentions of the lab, its 
scientists and the existence of an alternative dimension of monsters 
they nickname the Upside Down. The show is one of Netflix’s most 
successful ventures into original programming and has garnered both 
popular and critical acclaim. This conference seeks to explore /Stranger 
Things/’//wider significance within the canon of cult television. Cult 
narratives are often associated with “empathetic audience identification 
with subversive characters” (Kinkade and Katovich 1992: 194), 
“trans-genericism” (Ross and Stein 2008: 8), and the inclusion of what 
Hills has termed a “hyper-diegesis” or “a vast and detailed narrative 
space, only a fraction of which is ever directly seen or encountered 
within the text” (2002: 137).

Kevin J. Whetmore Jr.’s recently published edited collection primarily 
focuses on /Stranger Things/’ first season and covers such topics as 
contextualisation, gender and intertextuality but largely omits a 
consideration of the show’s position as a cult television narrative 
(2018). /Stranger Things/ excessively references cult media texts and by 
doing so, has developed a cult fan following through its use of a vast 
“intertextual network” (Jenkins 1992: 40). This is also evidenced 
through the show’s extensive foray into merchandising, presence at 
fan-based conferences such as Comic-Con and Paleyfest and its recent 
invitation to be a part of the immersive ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ 
experience at Universal Studios theme parks.

/Stranger Things/also exemplifies a recent trend of 1980s nostalgia 
within popular cult media products. The narrative of the show mirrors 
that of J.J. Abrams’ ode to Spielberg in /Super 8/ (2011), shares many 
similarities with Stephen King’s /It/ (1986; Carranza, 2018) and both 
/Stranger Things /and the Marvel franchise release /Guardians of the 
Galaxy /(2014) boast soundtracks of 1970s/1980s pop and rock hits. 
Butler has suggested that /Stranger Things/’//depiction of this decade 
reveals “the terrifying similarities between the 1980s and now; speaking 
to the present as much as the past” (2017: 196).

This conference aims to bring together scholars working on /Stranger 
Things/with a view to publishing an edited volume as part of I.B. 
Tauris/Bloomsbury’s ‘Investigating Cult Television’ series in late 2019. 
Paper topics (for 20-minute presentations) might include but are not 
limited to:-

·The mediation of 1980s nostalgia

·Contextuality – Reaganism/Trumpism

·The rise of popular cult narratives in the 1980s

·Postmodern entertainment, complex serial narratives and cult television

·Representations of gender, adolescence, family and/or authority

·Cult characters and their followings (Barb, Bob Newby, Eleven, Steve 
Harrington)__

·Generic hybridity in /Stranger Things/ and other similar cult films and 
TV.__

·Music within /Stranger Things/ and its promotional material__

·Trans-medial narratives/online fan engagement__

·Fan experience (merchandise/theme park attractions)__

Please submit proposals of around 300 words, along with a short 
biographical note (100 words) to Dr Tracey Mollet 
((T.L.Mollet /at/ leeds.ac.uk) <mailto:(T.L.Mollet /at/ leeds.ac.uk)>) by *_Friday 
14^th September 2018._*

Applicants will be notified of the outcome by Friday 21^st September 2018.

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