[Commlist] CfP: Taylor Swift and the Art of Meaning-Making: Communities, Affect and Storytelling

CECC will be hosting a conference on Taylor Swift and the Art of 
Meaning-Making: Communities, Affect and Storytelling on 23 June 2025.

This conference will explore the Taylor Swift phenomenon and gather 
scholars working at the intersection of media, literary, cultural, and 
political studies to explore Taylor Swift’s role in meaning-making 
processes.

Anonymized abstracts of no more than 500 words (not including 
references), as well as a short bio should be sent to 
(taylorswiftconference /at/ gmail.com) by 5 May 2025. Submissions from 
early-career researchers and Ph.D. and M.A. students are welcome.

For full details, please visit the conference website: 
https://taylorswiftconfere.wixsite.com/cecc

Organization: Carla Ganito, Patrícia Tavares, Cátia Ferreira, Naíde 
Müller, and João Simão
Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC), Human Sciences 
School, Universidade Católica Portuguesa


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This isn’t a conference about Taylor Swift, just as Taylor Swift: The 
Star, The Songs, The Fans “isn’t a book about Taylor Swift” (Bentley, 
Galloway, & Harper: 1). It is a conference about the Taylor Swift 
phenomenon, which should be studied from different perspectives, the 
academic included, since “Taylor Swift is a prismatic figure for the 
musical world of the 21st century” (ibid.).

In 2014, Bloomberg Businessweek stated in its November 17 cover that 
“Taylor Swift is the Music Industry” (emphasis in the original). 2014 
was the year that consolidated Taylor Swift’s shift from country to pop 
music, a change that led her to become one of the biggest female pop 
stars in the world (Théberge, 2021; Wilkinson, 2019). Over the last 
decade, she has asserted herself as a music celebrity (singer, 
songwriter, and performer), a brand, and a businesswoman. Moreover, she 
has been able to navigate stardom and her relationship with her fans. 
Fandom is a very important dimension of the Taylor Swift phenomenon. 
Swifties are a highly engaged fandom community, which has been studied 
from different perspectives and addressing different aspects (Carroll, 
2025; Dajches & Aubrey, 2023; Driessen, 2022a; Galloway, 2023; Morris, 
2024). In recent years, Swift’s role as a political figure has also 
become a key part of her public identity. While originally perceived as 
apolitical, she has since embraced political activism, endorsing 
candidates, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, and speaking out on issues 
such as voter participation and reproductive rights (Driessen, 2022a; 
Driessen, 2022b). Research has explored her political interventions and 
their effects on both public discourse and voter mobilization, 
particularly among young audiences (Jackson, et al., 2024).; Nisbett & 
Schartel Dunn, 2019). As a celebrity with a vast platform, Swift’s 
political engagement raises questions about the power of popular music 
to shape civic participation, public trust, and digital activism 
(Gabbatt, 2018).

Building on existing academic inquiries, including Taylor Swift: The 
Star, The Songs, The Fans (2025), the Contemporary Music Review special 
issue on Swift (Fogarty & Arnold, 2021), and The Literary Taylor Swift: 
Songwriting and Intertextuality (2024), this conference aims to convene 
scholars working at the intersection of media, literary, cultural, and 
political studies to explore Taylor Swift’s role in meaning-making 
processes.
Submissions

We welcome submissions from scholars across disciplines - including 
Media Studies, Communication Sciences, Cultural Studies, Literature, 
Sociology, Political Science, and Popular Music Studies - that engage 
with Taylor Swift as a cultural, artistic, and socio-political 
phenomenon. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

Fandom and Participatory Culture – Swifties as digital communities, fan 
activism, and the commodification of engagement.

​Fandom and Ageing – fandom segments and experience differentiation in 
different generations

Individual experience in concerts as places of vulnerability – Taylor's 
Swift concerts as experienced by fans in an individual perspective

​Affects, Identities, and Representations – Nostalgia, girlhood, gender, 
intersectionality, and authenticity in Swift’s public and artistic persona.

​Narratives and Meaning-Making – Songwriting, intertextuality, 
self-narrativization, and Swift’s influence on storytelling in media.

​Industry, Branding, and Strategic Communication – Swift’s impact as a 
businesswoman, her control over digital streaming, and The Eras Tour as 
a media event.

​Political and Activist Dimensions – Swift’s political endorsements, 
voter mobilization, celebrity activism, and the intersection of pop 
culture and civic engagement.

Transdisciplinary Approaches – Methodological innovations, ethical 
considerations, and best practices in researching celebrity culture and 
fandom.

​​The Economics of Fandom and Taylor Swift

​
Please submit an anonymized abstract of no more than 500 words (not 
including references) to (taylorswiftconference /at/ gmail.com) by May 5, 2025, 
as well as a short bio. We will be accepting a limited number of 
submissions for individual papers that will be presented remotely. 
Please note that you should include a note in your proposal if you are 
only able to present remotely. Notifications of acceptance will be sent 
by May 10th. Submissions from early-career researchers, and Ph.D. and 
M.A. students are welcome.


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