[Commlist] CFP: Siblings on Stage, Page and Screen

*Siblings on Stage, Page and Screen*

*Virtual Conference (University of Chester)*

*Date: Saturday 16th January 2021*

**

Though ubiquitous across stage, page and screen, images of siblings 
remain an under-researched and under-discussed phenomenon. The 
relationships, rivalries, conflicts and collaborations between brothers 
and sisters are frequently overlooked, and yet offer the possibility for 
fascinating discussion and insight into a wide range of cultural texts.

Following the successful Siblings on Stage and Screen symposium held at 
the University of Worcester in September 2018, we are delighted to 
announce a second Siblings conference, to be hosted virtually by the 
University of Chester via the Microsoft Teams platform. We invite papers 
which explore the relatively under-developed study of siblings in visual 
culture, performance and literature, in various and creative ways.

In literature, family relationships are both ubiquitous and complex and 
whether a Renaissance revenge tragedy or a novel by Jane Austen, the 
plot often pivots on the loyalty or jealousy between siblings, confusion 
caused by twins or conflict prompted by illegitimacy.  Whilst there have 
been many explorations of the role of siblings in both drama and 
fiction, the examination of sibling relationships in poetry remains an 
underdeveloped area of enquiry, both in terms of representation and as 
practitioners.

On screen, sibling relationships are frequently depicted and yet rarely 
interrogated.Whether as a stabilising force, a source of antagonism, a 
parental substitute, or an unsettling doubled presence, images of 
brothers and sisters in film and television provide a counterpoint to 
the oft-investigated familial relationships between parents and 
children. Siblings filmmakers and actors, meanwhile, have been a 
constant force in cinema. Elsewhere, the sibling dynamic informs – and 
often complicates – other aspects of popular culture, including music, 
celebrity and video game narratives.

We invite papers of 20 minutes from the fields of theatre and 
performance studies, film and TV studies, literature, media and cultural 
studies, and related disciplines.  We also welcome proposals for 
complete panels of 3/4 papers.

Papers may explore the representation or practice of siblings across a 
range of media and genres.  We are interested in papers which explore 
all forms of relationships: blood, legal, social and religious. Topics 
may include, but are not restricted to, the following:

  * Family relationships and dynamics; birth order
  * Representations of sisterhood/brotherhood
  * Twins or multiple births
  * Doubling or Doppelgänger
  * Mythical or Biblical sibling imagery
  * Missing parents; orphans
  * Death of a sibling
  * Siblings in adulthood or old age
  * Siblings and alternative family structures
  * Incest; illegitimacy; inheritance
  * Ambition and revenge; family feuds; loyalty
  * Siblings in relation to gender and sexuality
  * Fraternity and sorority; monastic or conventual communities
  * Siblings as directors, performers, writers or celebrities

Please send proposals of 300 words, and a short biography, to the 
organisers at (SiblingsSPS2021 /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(SiblingsSPS2021 /at/ gmail.com)> by Friday 2nd October 2020. If you 
would like any further information, or have any questions, please feel 
free to contact us via email.

Dr Katie Barnett (Music, Media and Performance, University of Chester)

Dr Sharon Young (English Literature, University of Worcester)

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