[Commlist] cfp: The Superhero Project V

*CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS*

*The Superhero Project: 5^th Global Meeting***

Friday 10^th to Sunday 12^th September 2021

Die Wolfsburg, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Essen, Germany

________________________________________

/“This should be agony. I should be a mass of aching muscle - broken, 
spent, unable to move. And, were I an older man, I surely would... But I 
am a man of thirty - of twenty - again. The rain on my chest is a 
baptism… I’m born again.” – *The Dark Knight Returns (1986)*///

Thirty-five years ago, DC Comics published /The Dark Knight Returns/, 
bestowing the superhero genre with one of the most singularly 
revolutionary and influential works in its history. Written and drawn by 
firebrand artist Frank Miller, this operatic and determinedly hard-edged 
Batman tale – replete with a startling, pointedly cynical Establishment 
vision of Superman – triggered not only seismic change within the comics 
industry but also ushered in the era of so-called “grim and gritty” 
superheroes. The pervasive influence of this continues to this day in 
presentations of the superhero across all media.

This tectonic shift was firmly consolidated later that year with DC’s 
publication of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ ground-breaking /Watchmen, 
/which stunningly deconstructed superhero archetypes by considering 
notions of absolute power in a ‘real world’ setting. In the wake of both 
highly-acclaimed and enormously popular series – marking the start of 
“The Modern Age of The Superhero” - the genre was thrust towards 
mainstream and international attention, igniting fevered debate about 
the genre’s artistic merit.

In 2021, the superhero occupies an expansive, dominant and increasingly 
diverse space in popular culture. Alongside archetypal characters now 
entering their ninth decade of existence (Wonder Woman) progressive 
representations of the superhero abound (the Miles Morales incarnation 
of Spider-Man, CW’s Batwoman, HBO’s /Watchmen/, Harper Row, Wiccan), 
indicating that the superhero is more vibrant than ever before.

For its milestone fifth edition, /The Superhero Project/ will focus on 
“The Progressive Age of The Superhero”, exploring the superhero’s 
capability of reflecting specific issues and operating as a powerful 
messenger of them - a power they have possessed since their inception.

*The Superhero Project: 5^th Global Meeting*invites inter-disciplinary 
discussion on superheroes and notions of the super-heroic.  Indicative 
themes for discussion may include but are not limited to:

  * Identity and Disguise
  * Gender and Ethnicity
  * Sexuality
  * Adaptation
  * Deconstruction
  * Patriotism
  * Social Responsibility
  * Diversity and Inclusion
  * Fan Cultures
  * Mythology

*What to Send*:

300 word abstracts should be submitted by Monday April 19^th , 2021 to 
the following e-mail addresses: (d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)>and (torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de) 
<mailto:(torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de)>.

Accepted proposals will be notified by Monday May 03^rd , 2021.

Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; 
abstracts should be in MS Word formats with the following information 
and in this order: a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to 
appear in programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of 
proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.

E-mails should be entitled: *_SUPER5 Abstract Submission_*.

We acknowledge receipt and answer to all proposals submitted. If you do 
not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not 
receive your proposal, If this is the case, please do resend to both 
e-mail addresses. We believe it is a mark of personal courtesy and 
professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend 
for the full duration of /The Superhero Project: Fifth Global Meeting/. 
If you have any questions, the Organising Chairs will be only too happy 
to assist.

*Organising Chairs*:

Danny Graydon (University of Hertfordshire): 
(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)<mailto:(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)>

Torsten Caeners (University of Duisburg-Essen): 
(torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de)<mailto:(torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de)>

---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------