Conference Theme: “Reeling in the Years: 30 Years of Film, TV, and Popular Culture”

February 24-28, 2009

Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
330 Tijeras
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: 1.505.842.1234
Fax: 1.505.766.6710

The Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Associations will hold their 30th annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 24-28, 2009. Proposals are now being accepted for a special series of panels on Gender, Sexuality, and Reality Television. In keeping with this year’s theme, “Reeling in the Years: 30 Years of Film, TV, and Popular Culture,” papers are particularly sought on aspects of film, TV, and popular culture of the last 30 years, including a conference-wide emphasis on the popular culture of 1979.
Like reality television itself, categories of gender and sexuality have particular ontological investments in the ‘real.’ Perhaps that is why constructions of gender and sexuality figure so prominently in the proliferating scholarship analyzing the place of reality television in modern culture. We wish to take advantage of this abundant attention to gender in reality TV studies through a special series of panels related to gender and sexuality. Presentations in this panel series can address any aspect of the psychological, sociological, philosophical, cultural, and/or aesthetic roles that constructions of gender and sexuality have in the development, proliferation and perhaps even decline of the reality television program.
We would be especially interested in work that considers the following in relation to ‘reality’ programs: feminist or queer theoretical issues; theories of transgender embodiment or subjectivity; feminist political economic analyses of reality tv; and studies of gender, sexuality, and the transnational reality brand (i.e, particular brand programs that offer multiple transnational versions [Big Brother, etc.] or that otherwise circulate among transnational audiences).
Of course, topics not included here are welcome as well.
Additionally, we welcome a wide array of scholarly approaches; in the past, successful presentations have utilized literary studies, cultural studies, film/media studies, mass communication studies, and/or interdisciplinary forms of analysis to great effect.
Abstracts of 150-250 words may be sent to Brad Houston Lane (bhlane@indiana.edu) by a priority deadline of November 15, 2008. The final deadline for submissions is December 1, 2008. Please include a working title and a brief biography of 100 words along with your submission. Email submissions are preferred.
Email: bhlane@indiana.edu
Telephone: (812) 855-0101

Brad Houston Lane
Department of Gender Studies, Indiana University
Memorial Hall East 130
1021 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47405

Registration and conference information is available at http://swtxpca.org/documents/home.html.