[UPDATE] Diversity in Speculative Fiction, Loncon 3
full name / name of organization:
Loncon 3, The 72nd World Science Fiction Convention
contact email:
[email protected]
Thursday 14 to Monday 18 August 2014
London, UK
http://loncon3.org/
Guests of Honour:
Iain M. Banks, John Clute, Malcolm Edwards, Chris Foss,Jeanne Gomoll, Robin Hobb, Bryan Talbot
The academic programme at Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, is offering the opportunity for academics from across the globe to share their ideas with their peers and convention attendees. To reflect the history and population of London, the host city, the theme of the academic programme is ‘Diversity’. We will be exploring science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all forms of speculative fiction, whether in novels, comics, television, and movies or in fanworks, art, radio plays, games, advertising, and music.
Proposals are particularly welcome on the works of the Guests of Honour, the city of London as a location and/or fantastic space, and underrepresented areas of research in speculative fiction. Examples of these may include, but are not limited to:
– Representation of alternative sexualities
– Speculative fiction by writers and producers of colour
– Non-English language media and/or fandoms
– The fantastic in unexpected places (greetings cards, pornography, opera, football stadiums)
– Digital comics
– The role of speculative fiction in Live Action Role-Playing
– The fantastic in music videos
– Speculative fiction in advertising
– European horror
Academics at all levels are warmly encouraged, including students and independent scholars.
We welcome proposals for presentations, roundtable discussions, lectures, and workshops/masterclasses.
The deadline for submission is December 31st 2013. Participants will be notified by February 1st 2014. All presenters must be in receipt of convention membership by May 1st 2014. Abstracts will be included in the Academic Programme Book, available to download from the Loncon website.
Participants may be invited to submit to an edited volume showcasing the variety of topics presented. This will be published in a special issue of Foundation: The International Review Of Science Fiction (for publication in 2015).
To propose a paper, please submit a 300 word abstract. To submit something other than a paper, please get in touch with Emma England, the academic area head, for an informal exchange of ideas.
Twitter: @AcademicLoncon3
http://www.loncon3.org/call_for_papers.php
from UPenn
Note: While I have not sent my abstract in, I am working on a paper for this. I guess I should send my abstract in.
I already purchased my conference membership and we are planning to go to the UK next summer for a couple of months.
Maybe I should look at my abstract and go ahead and send it in before I miss the deadline (which I have done for 2 conferences in the last year).
I did not know that some of these might get published. That would be VERY cool.
Update: After thinking about it, I realized that my abstract doesn’t fit this CFP, as it matches the earlier rendition I saw. Because of that, it focuses on what differences characters perceive negatively (either group or individual). The list is quite long and, of course, includes race and alien/magic (the speculative fiction version of race). This is a very well developed discussion in speculative fiction. (All my books on this are at the office, so I need to remember to look at them.)
My original abstract (which I don’t want to throw away because I have worked on the topic for tens of hours) also includes other qualities, including those that modern society discriminates against–or even for–in less “obvious” ways, such as hair color (both blonde and ginger), nationality (Italian for English folk), socio-economic status, and even occupation (mechanic).