In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and English Studies at the Universitat de Barcelona invites proposals for panels and papers on any aspect of gender and the graphic novel or comics. This one-day symposium is both an academic and a outreach event, intended for researchers, secondary school students, and the general public. Papers should be lively and accessible to nonspecialists. The official languages of the symposium are English, Spanish, and Catalan: English-studies specialists are encouraged to submit abstracts, and deliver their papers, in English.
Possible topics included:
• Women creators in comics and graphic novel
• Superheroines (and superheroes) and bodies
• Gender and re-worked graphic characters
• Gender and graphic novel readerships/fandom
• Gender and graphic genres
• Gender and comic/graphic novel publishing houses
• Gender-swapping characters (e.g. in cases of retroactivity continuity)
• Comics and intersectionality (cue Ms Marvel)
• Gender and mutants/aliens
Abstracts of 150-250 words should be sent, in English, Spanish, or Catalan, to john.stone.bcn@gmail by 15 December 2018. A selection will be made by 20 December 2018. Abstracts should include the author’s or authors’ name(s) and affiliation, title, and 3-5 keywords, as well as the abstract proper.