What, when & where
“Popular Culture in a New Media Age: Trends and Transitions”
Issue Guest Editors:
Dr. Despoina N. Feleki, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. dfeleki@enl.auth.gr
Dr. Otilia Cusa, Ovidius University, Constanta, Romania. otilia.cusa@gmail.com
If it doesn’t spread, it’s dead: this is the new modus operandi of the emerging media landscape that allows for media content to circulate from top down to bottom up, from grassroots to commercial, as argued by Henry Jenkins et al. (2013). Conversely, Cory Doctorow’s “think like a dandelion” metaphor suggests a radically novel interaction between writers and readers, media producers and consumers. Practically, these new media artifacts are like dandelions spreading in the air, not at all contagiously, but rather consciously and autonomously. By continuously shifting our attention from user-generated material to user-circulated content, we are shaping a more accurate idea of what popular culture stands for today.
What is more, the affordances of new media revisit well-established tenets of language socialization research as socialization through the use of language (the acquisition of proper use of language to acquire social competence) and socialization to use language (language as a medium or tool in the socialization process) within popular cultural production and, in particular, in the case of digital fandoms. The rise of popular culture studies and the inclusion of popular courses in universities and school curricula testify to the need for further investigation into the changing faces of the 21st century popular culture.
This special issue of “Ex-Centric Narratives: Journal of Anglophone Literature, Culture and Media” aims to participate in a dialogue regarding new trends and transitions in popular culture studies and answers the need for repositioning the issue. We welcome papers on popular works intended for the big screen, TV, and/or other printed or digital editions. Some of the questions raised can address, but are not limited to, the following:
How do new media textualities inform visualizations, representations, and narratives in present-day mass-mediated popular culture?
Can the popularity of new media content be put down only to increased visibility of media and social networking sites?
How can visual and linguistic modes of meaning forge social bonds between viewers and characters in the digital fan communities?
How are popular products reconfiguring Western Culture?
Are other markets (Asian) making it into the American and European market (and vice versa)?
Deadline & how to apply
All abstracts must be received by the deadline of Friday September 6, 2019. The length of the abstract should be between 150-180 words. Your abstract submission should include: title, author(s), author contact information, affiliated institution, keywords (4-5).
Other info, Links & conditions
Please send your emails to: Dr. Despoina Feleki (dfeleki@enl.auth.gr) and Dr. Otilia Cusa (otilia.cusa@gmail.com)
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