[Commlist] CfP: Framing True crime

CFP// SPECIAL ISSUE: FRAMING TRUE CRIME: FORMS, REPRESENTATIONS, AND 
TRANSMEDIALITY - Ocula. Semiotic Eye on Media

Abstract submission: 30 September 2026
Editors: Daniela Cardini (IULM University, Milan), Diletta Cenni (IULM 
University, Milan), Antonella Mascio (University of Bologna), and Andrea 
Bernardelli (University of Ferrara).


Ocula. Semiotic Eye on Media invites submissions for the special issue 
"Framing True Crime: Forms, Representations, and Transmediality."

In recent years, true crime has emerged as one of the most pervasive 
narrative genres in contemporary media culture, circulating across 
television, streaming platforms, podcasts, and digital spaces. Its 
current transnational prominence is closely tied to processes of 
serialization and transmedia expansion, which enable the continuous 
reconfiguration of criminal narratives across diverse formats, 
platforms, and audiences. Yet, true crime is not solely a contemporary 
phenomenon; it is rooted in a deeper cultural genealogy that stretches 
back to early forms of serialized storytelling and longstanding 
practices of narrating crime and deviance.

Despite its cultural significance, true crime remains relatively 
underexplored and undertheorized. This special issue aims to position 
true crime as a dynamic field of meaning-making while contributing to 
the definition and theorization of the genre through the analysis of its 
formal, narrative, and discursive configurations across different media 
and cultural contexts. We welcome contributions that, in addition to 
analyzing case studies, propose methodological tools and interpretive 
models capable of accounting for the complexity of true crime as a 
serial and transmedia phenomenon.

The issue explores questions such as:

How do different media forms—from literature to television, film, and 
podcasts—contribute to defining true crime?
Which methodological approaches and disciplinary perspectives are most 
effective for analyzing a hybrid, transmedia, and culturally situated 
object such as true crime?
How can scholars contribute to a more systematic theorization of the genre?
How are the figures of the victim, the perpetrator, and the investigator 
constructed and negotiated across different cultural contexts, including 
in relation to representations of gender, family, and celebrity culture?
In what ways do global formats interact with local narrative practices 
through adaptation, hybridization, and reinterpretation?
How does true crime participate in shaping public discourse on crime, 
justice, and memory?
Topics include, but are not limited to:

Narrative and discursive configurations of true crime across literature, 
television, film, and podcasts.
Methodological and disciplinary approaches to studying true crime as a 
hybrid and transmedia object.
The definition and theorization of the true crime genre.
Representations of victims, perpetrators, and investigators, including 
issues of gender, family, and celebrity culture.
Global formats, local adaptations, and hybridization processes.
Participatory dimensions of contemporary true crime, including fandom, 
digital communities, and amateur investigative activities.
The role of true crime in shaping public discourse on crime, justice, 
and memory.
Ethical issues and legal/institutional challenges posed by the true 
crime genre.
Submissions are accepted in English and Italian.

No submission fees, article processing charges (APCs), or any other 
payments will be required from authors at any stage of the submission or 
publication process.

Deadlines
Abstract submission: 30 September 2026
Notification of acceptance: 31 October 2026
Full paper submission: 28 February 2027
Feedback after double-blind peer review: 30 May 2027
Submission of revised papers: 30 June 2027
Publication: 30 November 2027

Submission
Abstracts (approximately 1,000 characters, including spaces) should be 
submitted in both Italian and English and sent jointly to:
Daniela Cardini – (daniela.cardini /at/ iulm.it) <mailto:(daniela.cardini /at/ iulm.it)>
Diletta Cenni – (diletta.cenni /at/ iulm.it) <mailto:(diletta.cenni /at/ iulm.it)>
Antonella Mascio – (antonella.mascio /at/ unibo.it) 
<mailto:(antonella.mascio /at/ unibo.it)>
Andrea Bernardelli – (andrea.bernardelli /at/ unife.it) 
<mailto:(andrea.bernardelli /at/ unife.it)>

Submission Guidelines
Accepted languages: Italian and English.
All submissions are subject to a double-blind peer review process.
Articles should be approximately 40,000 characters (including spaces, 
notes, and bibliography).
Accepted file formats: .doc, .docx, and .odt.
Articles may include images. Image files should also be submitted 
separately (.jpg, .png, .tif, .eps, or .psd).
Authors should submit two separate files: one anonymized manuscript for 
peer review and one including the author's name, affiliation, email 
address, optional website, and a short biographical note (approximately 
100 words).
In the anonymized version, all self-references should be replaced with 
"Author" and publication titles with "Publication Title," while 
publication dates should remain visible.
Editorial Guidelines

Detailed editorial policies and formatting guidelines are available at:
https://www.ocula.it/collaborazioni.php 
<https://www.ocula.it/collaborazioni.php>

Further Information
The complete Call for Papers, including all submission details and 
updates, is available at:
https://www.ocula.it/cfp.php?id=55&lng=en 
<https://www.ocula.it/cfp.php?id=55&lng=en>

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