CfP: Manga Futures. Institutional and Fannish Approaches in Japan and Beyond

6th International Scholarly Conference
University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
31. Oktober bis 2. November 2014
Stichtag: 13. Juni 2014

Manga Studies is now emerging as an important field of scholarship and criticism within Japanese Studies and Cultural Studies, but its methodologies and theoretical foundations are still being developed in relation to both existing academic disciplines and everyday practices. This conference approaches “manga culture” in the broadest sense.

Speakers address the interrelations between aspects of production, distribution and consumption inside and outside of Japan. Perspectives adopted include institutionally established industry-insiders,fandom-based creators and critics, and academics with social-science and humanities-oriented backgrounds. Manga has given rise to a new participatory culture which reaches far beyond graphic narratives. Today’s students are not simply consumers of manga. They live in a convergent media environment where they occupy multiple roles as fans, students and “produsers” (producers + users) of Japanese cultural content. Many students are engaged in “scanlation” and “fansubbing” sites as well as the production and dissemination of dōjin (fan-produced) work. These practices contribute to manga’s global appeal, influence and ease of access, but also raise ethical and legal issues, not least infringement of copyright. In addition to invited speakers who include manga researchers and creators from Japan, Japanese Studies experts, language teachers and other stakeholders, the organizers welcome critical contributions which reflect on how the study of manga should develop as a scholarly field to support young people’s enthusiasm and ensure the prosperity of manga culture now and into the future.

Paper proposals are invited on the following themes:

• Fan appropriations of and contributions to manga culture in Japan and beyond

• Commonalities and differences in fandom-based creation and criticism between Japan and other countries

• Ethical and legal challenges in the production and consumption of manga (copyright, representations of violent and sexual content, potential fictional “child abuse” images etc.)

• Institutional support for or criticism of manga culture

• The use of manga in Japan studies and Japan language pedagogy

• The future of “manga studies” – theory and methods

Please note that the above issues may be also addressed via discussions of manga-related media such as anime and video games.

Due date for proposals: 13 June 2014
Notification of acceptance: July 2014
Deadline for registration: 3 October 2014

You may submit your abstracts by using the submission form.

For further information see: http://mangafutures.com/symposium/call-for-papers/

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