[Commlist] CFP – True crime as a serial and transmedia phenomenon: Local perspectives and global contexts

CFP// TRUE CRIME AS A SERIAL AND TRANSMEDIA PHENOMENON: LOCAL 
PERSPECTIVES AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS

International Conference

IULM University, Milan, 26–27 November 2025

Extended deadline for CFP submissions: 30 June 2025

NOTE: The development of the project has led to a change in the working 
title from “True Crime as a Serial and Transmedia Phenomenon: The 
Italian Scenario” to “True Crime as a Serial and Transmedia Phenomenon: 
Local Perspectives and Global Contexts.” This shift allows for a broader 
and more inclusive exploration of the topic.

As Ian Punnett notes, in recent years true crime has gained widespread 
transnational and multiplatform success. Yet, beyond its contemporary 
popularity, true crime stands out as a genre with a long and complex 
history, tracing its roots back to the very origins of serial 
storytelling—an enduring testament to the power of its narratives. 
Despite its cultural and commercial relevance, the genre remains 
underexplored in academic research, with only a few notable exceptions.

The international conference "TRUE CRIME AS A SERIAL AND TRANSMEDIA 
PHENOMENON: LOCAL CONTEXTS AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES", to be held at IULM 
University in Milan on 26–27 November 2025, aims to critically examine 
true crime as a transnational genre, while highlighting its local 
variations and specificities across different media landscapes.

We invite proposals that explore how true crime narratives are 
developed, adapted, and received within specific cultural and 
geographical contexts. We particularly welcome contributions examining 
true crime across various media platforms—literature, theater, radio, 
television, cinema, podcasts—and its intersections with celebrity 
culture, fan communities, digital storytelling, and social media engagement.

Additional topics of interest include the geographical and spatial 
dimensions of crime representation, the role of family and gender, 
historical evolutions of the genre, and the interplay between local 
traditions and global narrative models.

Research on genre hybridity—exploring intersections between true crime, 
noir, detective fiction, comedy, horror, and Gothic—and studies on the 
distinctive narrative strategies of true crime are also encouraged.

While this is an international conference open to diverse cultural 
contexts, particular attention will be given to studies that investigate 
local adaptations of true crime and the tensions between global formats 
and local storytelling traditions.

The conference languages will be English and Italian, with simultaneous 
translation provided.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

Historical perspectives on true crime across media and national contexts

True crime and genre hybridization (noir, detective fiction, comedy, 
horror, Gothic)

Local and transnational dimensions of true crime narratives

Crime, family, and gender roles in true crime storytelling

True crime and celebrity culture

True crime fan cultures and digital communities

Social media and crime storytelling (YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, etc.)

True crime on streaming platforms, television, and podcasts

The use of archival material and historical reconstruction

Internet sleuthing, forensic fandom, and amateur investigations

True crime journalism and its role in shaping public discourse

We look forward to receiving proposals from scholars around the world, 
with special interest in research that sheds light on the local 
articulations of true crime phenomena.

Submission Guidelines:

We invite scholars to submit an abstract up to 300 words, along with 
five key words, a short bio (max. 150 words) and an optional 
bibliography (up to five references). Papers must be submitted to 
Daniela Cardini, Alessia Casiraghi, Diletta Cenni and Dalila Saccuta at: 
(truecrimeconference /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(truecrimeconference /at/ gmail.com)>

The conference will be held in-person only. The submission deadline is 
June 30th, 2025. Notification of acceptance will be sent by July 20th, 
2025. The keynote speakers will be announced soon.


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