Call for chapters and expressions of interest
Underbelly: A Critical Companion
Edited by Melissa Gregg, Sue Turnbull & Jason Wilson
This book collection offers a critical companion
to the Australian television series Underbelly.
Drawing on a range of perspectives ? from
academics, journalists and critics to the show?s
production team and the wider public ? it
provides a comprehensive account of Underbelly?s
development, screening and reception. In doing
so, it explores the social, political and
economic conditions that mark a successful
program in the landscape of Australian television.
A feature of this collection will be to showcase
new partnerships developing across media and
cultural institutions in Australian screen
industries. A cross-section of work in
contemporary media, journalism and cultural
studies will discuss key concerns for these
fields, and leading critics will illustrate the
possibilities for contemporary screen studies analysis.
Writers, producers, actors and directors on each
of the seasons to date are invited to contribute
to the collection and/or participate in
interviews. ?Below the line? production staff
and workers in affiliated areas (eg. publicity
for the series and its distributors) are
particularly welcome. Potential contributors for
these formats should contact the editors before submitting an abstract.
Several of the chapters for the book are already
commissioned, so the purpose of this call is to
fill gaps in scope. We seek chapters responding
to themes in each of the three seasons of Underbelly, such as:
- underworld and criminal networks
- white collar crime, including institutional corruption
- the drug trade
- commodity distribution and logistics
- drug consumption (including comparative class demographics)
- police culture and/or the politics of bureaucracy
- tabloid media and the law
- inter-state rivalry and cultural prejudice
- the night time economy, including the privatization of security
- sex work
- migration and ethnicity (especially
in relation to alternative and/or leisure economies)
- cultural tourism and city branding
- the politics of city space and suburbia
- class and aspiration
- ordinariness
- masculinity and homosociality
Industry concerns for the book include:
- screenwriting and adaptation
- franchising in a global television market
- state and corporate funding strategies
- copyright and distribution (including the piracy threat)
- ratings and advertising
- casting and the Australian acting pool
- the pedigree of successful production teams
- prospects for Australian television careers
Potential chapter contributors are advised to
read the following article for further
indication of the material of interest to this collection:
Melissa Gregg and Jason Wilson (2010)
?Underbelly, true crime and the cultural economy
of infamy? Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 24 (3): 411-427
Abstracts for written chapters should be 250 words and should be sent to:
Melissa Gregg: <mailto:(melissa.gregg /at/ sydney.edu.au)>(melissa.gregg /at/ sydney.edu.au)
Sue Turnbull: <mailto:(S.Turnbull /at/ latrobe.edu.au)>(S.Turnbull /at/ latrobe.edu.au)
Jason Wilson:
<mailto:(jason.wilson /at/ canberra.edu.au)>(jason.wilson /at/ canberra.edu.au)
Abstracts are due December 31.
Accepted chapters, of 5000 words maximum, will
be due at the beginning of April, 2011.
Please feel free to pass this information on to others.
With best wishes,
Melissa, Sue & Jason
Dr Melissa Gregg
Department of Gender and Cultural Studies
School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry
Quadrangle Building A14
University of Sydney NSW 2006
Australia
p + 61 2 9351 3657 | m + 61 408 599 359 | e
<mailto:(mel.gregg /at/ usyd.edu.au)>(mel.gregg /at/ usyd.edu.au)
http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/gcs/staff/profiles/mgregg.shtml
