Kategori: Calls & Conferences

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Calls & Conferences

cfp: The Joint International Conference of Bande Dessinées, Graphic Novels and Comics

Location: Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée and Hoek 38, Brussels, Belgium

Tuesday 24 June – Wednesday 25 June 2025 (online)

Monday 30 June – Friday 4 July 2025 (in-person)ers

The Taste of Comics

Taste is constructed through culture, aesthetics and the senses. What is good taste and bad taste? In the past comics were aligned with trash culture evoking notions of good literature and bad literature, good art and bad art. How and why were these hierarchies constructed? Are they still relevant? Changing tastes can make a topic more appealing or less appealing and inform how we view a place, text, theme, author, or artist. Aesthetic tastes have informed the reception of styles such as the école de Marcinelle or Hergé’s clear line. There are issues of good taste and restraint, bad taste and excess in art movements from the Classical to the Gothic or the architectural taste of the Cités obscures. There are also issues of taste in the consumption of art or fashion as in, for instance, paper cut out dolls and makeover stories. 

Speaking more literally, graphic gastronomy is filled with stories about taste and food in in autobiographies like Lucy Knisley’s Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. Food features prominently in manga of cookery and romance are found in manga such as Kitchen Princess by Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi and LGBTQA+ manga such as Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday, or Jarrett Melendez’s Chef’s Kiss. Food features in instruction books like Robin Ha’s Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes and adventure stories skilfully whisked together with instruction as in Tetsu Kariya and  Akira Hanasaki’s Oishinbo a la carte #1: Japanese Cuisine. Bakhtinian excess is evoked in characters such as Capitaine Haddock’s drinking, Garfield’s love of Lasagne, and Scooby Doo and Shaggy who will eat anything. Matter-Eater Lad, from the Legion of Superheroes, of course, can eat anything. Eating can also be dis-tasteful in stories such as Chew, a detective who gets psychic impressions from whatever food he eats. And at the opposite end of excess is the tragedy of famine in graphic novels like Red Harvest: A Graphic Novel of the Terror Famine in Soviet Ukraine (Michael Cherkas) or starvation as in Art Spiegelman’s Maus.As always, papers outside of this theme are also welcomed. 

We are looking for papers based on, but not limited to, any aspects of taste such as:

·      changing tastes in comics and graphic novels – e.g. a franchise or character

·      artistic styles such as art nouveau, art deco, ligne clair

·      kitsch, punk, anti-taste

·      cultural tastes and traditions

·      synesthesia – tasting words, colours

·      graphic gastronomy, depicting food, recipes

·      horror and dis-taste – ghouls, vampires, werewolves, cannibalism

·      food and romance

·      greed and excess

·      feasting, fasting, famine

·      appetite and the body

·      changing appreciations of art and fashion, makeovers

·      places and their gastronomic reputations: Belgium and beyond!

As always, papers outside of this theme are also welcomed.

We invite proposals for single 20-minute papers, 60- or 90-minute participatory workshops or roundtables, or three-paper panels. Please complete the online form at https://forms.office.com/e/cwa9dxQeYW, which includes details such as proposal title, your desired format (paper, workshop, panel, roundtable), co-presenter details, in-person or online, abstract (200 words) and biography (100 words). The online form will close at midnight UK time on 31 January 2025, and we will confirm acceptance by 1 March 2025.

We hope this whets your appetite. Please email TheIGNCC@gmail.com with any queries, and keep an eye on our website www.IGNCC.com for more updates and the latest news.

 

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Calls & Conferences News

CFP: ‘The Illustrated Woman’

A symposium on illustration research and practise in relation to notions of womanhood. 
The School of Design, University of Leeds, UK. 
Monday 19th May 2024 10am – 5pm.  

“When we change the way we see, the things we see also change.” 
Catherine McCormack 

This symposium aims to bring together academics and practitioners to discuss the phenomenon of the illustrated woman – a constructed or drawn image of a woman with a defined purpose to promote, illuminate, educate or entertain. Though  designed for dissemination to large audiences, illustration remains an often academically overlooked site of potential power, particularly in the ways in which it covertly or explicitly reflects or challenges ideological positions of womanhood.

To what extent do we actually see illustrated women? Whilst there is a wealth of studies about representation of women in art or photography, this symposium seeks to ask similar and new questions of illustration to uncover a fresh discourse.  Such questions include – How do contemporary illustrated “spaces of femininity” or topographies of womanhood operate? Is there a characteristic of the Gen-AI woman that contributes to key debates about visual constructions of femaleness and femininity?  What new (and old) theoretical positions may shape our understanding of historical and contemporary illustrations of women? What can our own contemporary illustration practice contribute to our understanding of the illustrated female form? How do different cultural contexts influence the portrayal of women in illustration? Are there cultural variations in the depiction of femininity, and how do they reflect or challenge local ideologies? How have historical shifts in societal attitudes towards women influenced the style and content of illustrated representations? What lessons can be drawn from past illustration that inform contemporary practices? 

We welcome proposals addressing (but not limited to) female representation in relation to: specific illustrators/collectives; genres of illustration (editorial, commercial (packaging/advertising), children’s books, comics/graphic novels etc.); race; modes of making; cultural similarity/difference; spaces of femininity; anatomy and physicality; Gen-AI; queer illustration; theoretical frameworks or positions; historical or contemporary perspectives; the gaze; authorial or professional motivations; production or reception regimes; social or commercial contexts; methodological approaches. 

Proposal Submission 

Please submit a 500 word proposal (appropriate for a 20 minute presentation) to c.m.stones@leeds.ac.uk and c.zlotea@leeds.ac.uk.  

The proposal should include a clear aim/research question, an outline of key arguments/findings and a conclusion. Illustrations may also be included. 

There will be plans following the conference to publish presented papers in an edited volume. More details will follow after the conference.  

Deadline for proposal submission: 30th Jan 2025.  

Notification of Acceptance: 28th Feb 2025 

Date of Symposium: Monday 19th May 2024 10am – 5pm. 

In-person Attendance Fees: £30 (full price) £5 (student price).  

For more information or questions please contact Dr Catherine Stones (c.m.stones@leeds.ac.uk)  or Dr Cătălina Zlotea (c.zlotea@leeds.ac.uk). 

Kategorier
Calls & Conferences Events

Confirmed keynote speaker

Drawing Connections – Comics as Art and Inquiry, Symposium at Malmö University November 15–16, 2024. 

See CFP here:
https://comics.uni.mau.se/cfp-drawing-connections-comics-as-art-and-inquiry/

Dr. Harriet EH Earle. Photo: Sheffield Hallam University

We are happy to announce that Dr Harriet EH Earle FHEA, Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, Sheffield Hallam University, will present a keynote.

Harriet Earle (Hattie) is a lecturer and researcher in comics and popular culture. Her current research brings fibre arts and needlework into conversation with comics. What connections can we make between these two artistic forms and to what end? If we broaden our working definitions of comics to include narrative needlework, how does our understanding of both fields change – who is included and what is gained? Hattie considers the politics and poetics of the needle as a tool for creating narratives that give voice and power to [previously] silen[ced/t] communities. 

Profile at Sheffield Hallam University:
https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-profiles/harriet-earle

RECENT PUBLICATIONS:


SERIES EDITOR
Global Perspectives in Comics Studies (Routledge)

BOOKS
Comics: An Introduction (Routledge 2020)
Comics, Trauma, and the New Art of War (U. Press Miss. 2017)

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Earle, H. (2024). How do comics engage with the Vietnam War? Two photography case studies. Americana: The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture, 22 (2). https://americanpopularculture.com/journal/articles/fall_2023/earle.htm

Earle, H. (2021). Traumatic Absurdity, Palimpsest, and Play: A Slaughterhouse-Five Case Study. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. http://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2021.1951787

Earle, H. (2020). The Politics of Lace in Kate Evans’ Threads: From the Refugee Crisis (2017). The Comics Grid : Journal of Comics Scholarship, 10 (1), 13. http://doi.org/10.16995/cg.215

Kategorier
Calls & Conferences Events News

CFP: Drawing Connections – Comics as Art and Inquiry

Symposium at Malmö University November 15–16, 2024. 

 Comics, with their unique blend of text and visualization, offer a rich field for artistic research, particularly in terms of their material components from the techniques used in creating the comic to the tools used to reproduce the comic. As an artistic research symposium, Drawing Connections aims to look at the material aspects of comics creation, exploring how these elements shape storytelling within the medium. While comics are a globally practiced form of storytelling, much remains to explore about the tools, techniques, and tactility that contribute to what makes the story tick. 

The symposium will address the role of comics in artistic research to emphasize how practical research in comics can facilitate inquiry and generate knowledge, particularly in understanding and innovating the narrative structures within the medium. To that end, we want to invite reflexive practitioners as well as researchers who make comics to test theories on comics, but also those whose research focus on the materiality of comics production. While we recognize the significance of digital production and publishing in comics, our discussions this time will exclusively explore the materiality and craftsmanship of analog comics. 

The symposium will take place at Malmö University and is arranged by MUCH (Malmö University Comics Hub) in collaboration with the Swedish Comics Archive and is designed to showcase how comics serve as a unique platform for narrative innovation, critical inquiry, and interdisciplinary dialogue. MUCH is a platform för research, artistic development, and cooperation within the field of comics, hosted by the School of Arts and Communication (K3) at Malmö University. 

 We welcome submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following themes: 

Comics as a methodology: Looking at how comics can be used as a method to explore complex ideas about narrative structure. 

The aesthetics of comics: Looking at how comics artists can use design and layout to influence the narrative experience. 

Exploring production: Looking at how comic book production – including technological and material constraints – has influenced storytelling styles and formats. 

Materiality and medium specificity: Looking at the physical aspects of comics (such as material quality, publishing techniques, and formats) and their impact on the development of comics as an art form. 

Archival research in comics: Understanding archival materials in the historical context of comic production and how past practices influence current trends. 

Future directions: Anticipating new trends, technologies, and methodologies in the creation and study of comics. 

Deadline for submission of 300-word abstracts and a short author note (c.150 words): June 30, 2024 to oskar.aspman@mau.se 

We hope you will join us in exploring the aesthetic, narrative, and theoretical potential of comics! 

Drawing Connections – Comics as Art and Inquiry

https://comics.uni.mau.se/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/05/drawingconnectionsCFP.pdf

 Illustration: Åsa Schagerström

CONFIRMED KEY-NOTE SPEAKER

Dr. Harriet EH Earle. Photo: Sheffield Hallam University

We are Happy to announce that Dr Harriet EH Earle FHEA, Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, Sheffield Hallam University, will present a key-note.

Harriet Earle (Hattie) is a lecturer and researcher in comics and popular culture. Her current research brings fibre arts and needlework into conversation with comics. What connections can we make between these two artistic forms and to what end? If we broaden our working definitions of comics to include narrative needlework, how does our understanding of both fields change – who is included and what is gained? Hattie considers the politics and poetics of the needle as a tool for creating narratives that give voice and power to [previously] silen[ced/t] communities. 

Profile at Sheffield Hallam University: https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-profiles/harriet-earle

RECENT PUBLICATIONS:


SERIES EDITOR
Global Perspectives in Comics Studies (Routledge)

BOOKS
Comics: An Introduction (Routledge 2020)
Comics, Trauma, and the New Art of War (U. Press Miss. 2017)

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Earle, H. (2024). How do comics engage with the Vietnam War? Two photography case studies. Americana: The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture, 22 (2). https://americanpopularculture.com/journal/articles/fall_2023/earle.htm

Earle, H. (2021). Traumatic Absurdity, Palimpsest, and Play: A Slaughterhouse-Five Case Study. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. http://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2021.1951787

Earle, H. (2020). The Politics of Lace in Kate Evans’ Threads: From the Refugee Crisis (2017). The Comics Grid : Journal of Comics Scholarship, 10 (1), 13. http://doi.org/10.16995/cg.215

Kategorier
Calls & Conferences

Symposium on Storytelling and Collaborative Future Making

The Organization Studies Group and the platform of Collaborative Future Making hereby invite for the 3rd symposium at Malmö University on the theme of storytelling and collaborative future making. The symposium will take place 7-8 May 2024. We invite a varied group of scholars from disciplines like design studies, leadership and organization studies, communication, comics research, art, architecture, education and urban planning.

The theme Storytelling and Collaborative Future Making addresses collaborative responses to making a sustainable and common future within diverse areas mentioned above. A common thread in the symposium is to explore the role that storytelling can have in crafting ethical foundations for work, organization, design, architecture, education and urban development.

Storytelling and collaboration for earthly survival mix with questions concerning how to collaborate and organize for human rights. While the 17 SDGs have been successful in mobilizing attention to questions concerning sustainability and inclusion, the embedded idea of balancing profit, people, and planet in actual strategies and practices seem to be off-track in practicing sustainable and inclusive development. Sustainability and inclusion are more and more at risk of becoming empty signifiers. Therefore, this symposium presents new ideas, concepts and approaches that allows for new understanding of how to work with all aspects of sustainability.

The symposium explores new ideas and approaches that mix storytelling and collaboration with questions concerning human rights and our relations to nature. These approaches might range from new embodied, relational, and material understandings of storytelling, the problematic and complex relations between small stories and grand narratives, visual narratives/comics, the relations between places, spaces, and stories, post-human, transhuman and Gaia storytelling, feminist, transgender, or queer storytelling. We also invite contributions of how to research and write differently in ways in which we take upon us our earthly responsibility. Such contributions may be inspired by engaged scholarship, reflexive inquiry, post-qualitative inquiry, or speculative fabulation. Finally, we also invite new approaches to understand the details how we work and collaborate and how they mix with issues concerning human rights and nature. These might comprise ideas from performative approaches to accounting, logistics, learning, collaboration, and planning.

If you want to join us, please submit an abstract of app. 500 words by 5 April 2024.

The event is free of charge. We don’t offer any accommodation, lunch, or dinner. We will make space for social arrangements in Malmö and organize a joint meeting place for dinner for those who are interested. Please send any queries to Kenneth, Hope or Per-Anders using the following emails. The venue for the symposium will be announced later.

Best, Kenneth, Hope and Per-Anders

Kenneth.molbjerg-jorgensen@mau.se

hope.witmer@mau.se

per-anders.hillgren@mau.se

gunnar.krantz@mau.se

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Calls & Conferences Uncategorized

Comics and/as Resistance

Oxford Comics Network Conference

Thursday 22 – Friday 23 June 2023 TORCH, Radcliffe Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, U.K.

comics and resistance

Call for Papers ‘Comics and/as Resistance’
Thursday 22 June and Friday 23 June 2023
In person at the University of Oxford (UK) and online

This conference seeks to bring together a wide range of scholars and creators to explore the poetics and politics of resistance within comics and graphic literature. Comics is a highly diverse and versatile medium, able to speak across boundaries, languages, temporalities, and cultures. This kind of formal flexibility makes it a particularly potent form for mediating resistance and resistance narratives. We understand resistance as a theme in a broad sense, from acts of political defiance to cultural practices that challenge perceived hegemonies. Resistance can also be a useful concept with which to examine the way that comics as a medium engages with categorizations, ideas about cultural legitimacy, and dominant forms of storytelling and historical representation. How are stories and histories of resistance mediated through comics? How are resisters and their agency depicted? How do comics creators contest dominant narratives and formal expectations and constraints? How is ‘resistance’ conceived of and enacted within the comics medium?

We invite papers that engage with these questions, and with resistance more broadly as a theme and/or as a mode of critical enquiry. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

· Depictions and/or mediations of historical acts of resistance, resistance networks, and the role of comics within cultural memory

· Representations of contemporary resistance movements

· Examples of comics being used to challenge dominant/hegemonic discourses and/or contribute to political discourses of resistance

· Formal conceptions of resistance within comics, for example the use of sound as a means of ‘resisting’ the silence of the medium; forms of hybridity than could be understood as resistance between text and image; resistance through the use of frames, the gutter, and text

· Histories of publication, distribution, and reception, particularly within transnational and global contexts

· Comics and/in translation

· Issues of genre, such as tensions between graphic fiction, memoir, and non-fiction

· The role of comics within pedagogies of resistance

· Comics as a collaborative form of resistance

· Comics and/as adaptation

· Graphic journalism

We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers to be delivered in English.

Please submit your abstract (max. 250 words) and a short biographical note (max. 75 words) to Dr Alex Lloyd (Lead Convenor, Oxford Comics Network) and the conference organising committee (Laura Bergin, Cailee Davis, Carolin Gluchowski, Luise Morawetz), using this form: https://forms.office.com/e/B6rsF2Fka5.

The deadline for submissions is 31 January 2023. Notifications will be made by 15 February 2023. A publication of selected papers is planned.

Please direct any queries to comics@torch.ox.ac.uk.

The Oxford Comics Network at the University of Oxford (UK) brings together students, academics, and practitioners from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds to explore the power, politics, and potential of the comics form.