FEMINIST MEDIA STUDIES
Commentary and Criticism Call for Papers
We invite contributions for the Commentary and Criticism section of
Feminist Media Studies.
Potential contributors can write to the co-editors, Kaitlynn Mendes
((kmendes /at/ dmu.ac.uk)) and Kumarini Silva ((k.silva /at/ neu.edu)) to express
preliminary interest in writing about:
Media Artists and Feminist Performance
Throughout the last few decades, performance based artists like Cindy
Sherman, Coco Fusco, the Guerilla Girls, and musicians like Ani DiFranco,
together with punk artists in both North America and Europe have used media
to articulate, and comment on women and gender. Using various media, such as
photography, performance, painting, and music, these artists have used their
creative practices to voice enduring commentary about women in contemporary
culture. In this issue of commentary and criticism, we are interested in
furthering the discussion/analysis of the intersection between feminism and
media arts. We are especially interested in pieces that look at the
influence of different artists globally, on various feminist movements, or
pieces that analyze specific artists as feminist performers through their
practice.
We invite contributors to submit short essays (1500-2000 words) by Jan. 15,
2010 on the topic of media artists and feminist performance, especially
focusing on, but not limited to, the following areas:
- Media Arts as Feminist Performance
- Global feminist artists/performers
- Historical analyses of artists as feminists
- Genre, Art, Feminism and Media
Please see the Feminist Media Studies style guide for information on how to
format the paper.
Book Reviews
Potential contributors can write to the co-editors, Kaitlynn Mendes
((kmendes /at/ dmu.ac.uk)) and Kumarini Silva ((k.silva /at/ neu.edu)) to express
preliminary interest in doing a review on one of the following books:
Wood, Helen (2009) Talking With Television: Women, talk shows, and modern
self-reflexivity. Chicago, University of Illinois Press.
Focusing on the political and everyday nature of talk, Talking with
Television explores the relationship between talk on TV, talk about TV, and,
most dynamically, talk with TV. By observing and analyzing the daily viewing
habits of a dozen women viewers, Helen Wood captures how television
dynamically unfolds alongside the viewers' own personal opinions,
experiences, and life stories. She interprets these experiences as daily
rituals of self-reflexivity, focusing on the performance of gender as a
doubling of place in contemporary conditions of modernity. Offering a
critical analysis of the ritual communication of talk television, Wood
argues for a more sustained focus on the mechanics of mediated interaction
in media studies, particularly as the field attempts to theorize the
characteristics of "old" and "new" media. Directly challenging the
fundamental assumption that new media forms are uniquely interactive,
Talking with Television reveals that televisual styles, particularly
talk-based TV, have always sought to encourage a participatory relationship
with viewers at home.
Vargas, Lucila (2009) Latina Teens, Migration, and Popular Culture. New
York, Peter Lang.
This richly ethnographic book explores the relationship between migration
and popular culture through a case study of the consumption practices of
working-class, transnational Latina teens. While everyday practices are
examined at the local level, the processes of identity construction that
Vargas seeks to address are akin to those created by diasporic youth around
the world. The book is suitable for graduate and upper-level undergraduate
courses in Latina/o communication studies and international/global
communication. Scholars researching youth will also find the book of
particular interest.
Beltran, Mary C. (2009) Latina/o Stars in U.S. Eyes: The making of meanings
of film and TV stardom. Chicago, University of Illinois Press.
This book explores the role film and television stardom has played in
establishing, reinforcing, and challenging popular ethnic notions of
Latina/os in the United States since the silent film era of the 1920s. In
addition to documenting the importance of Latina and Latino stars to
American film and television history, Mary C. Beltrán focuses on key moments
in the construction of "Hollywood Latinidad" by analyzing the public images
of these stars as promoted by Hollywood film studios, television networks,
producers, and the performers themselves. Critically surveying the careers
of such film and television stars as Dolores Del Rio, Desi Arnaz, Rita
Moreno, Freddie Prinze, Edward James Olmos, Jessica Alba, and Jennifer
Lopez, Latina/o Stars in U.S. Eyes also addresses the impact of the rise in
Latina and Latino media producers and the current status of Latina/o stardom.
