CFP Japanese Transnational Fandom Workshop, 3-4 July 2008, Univ. of Wollongong

[Jonathan M. Hall]

>
> Japanese Transnational Fandom Workshop
>
> Location: Australia
> Call for Papers Date: 2008-07-03
> Date Submitted: 2007-09-11
> Announcement ID: 158248
>
> Call for Papers: JAPANESE TRANSNATIONAL FANDOMS AND FEMALE CONSUMERS
> University of Wollongong (near Sydney, Australia)
>
> 3-4 July 2008
>
> This workshop investigates the different ways in which originally  
> Japanese genres, aesthetics and styles have been taken up, deployed  
> and transformed by female fans transnationally. The way in which  
> Japanese products, styles and images are received in different  
> cultures as well as the (sub)cultural ends to which they are  
> deployed will be investigated, as will the impact of the fandom on  
> the changing nature of consumerism, participatory fan culture and  
> particularly gender in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. We  
> invite papers that discuss female consumers' uptake of originally  
> Japanese popular cultural styles and artefacts across all regions  
> and media.
>
> Of particular interest in this workshop is the "yaoi" or "boys'  
> love" (BL) manga/animation fandom popular with girls and young  
> women. Over the last decade there has been a massive boom in  
> interest in this genre (including commercially translated and  
> published volumes as well as amateur fan-authored productions) in  
> Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. Papers  
> focusing specifically on the yaoi/BL fandom are particularly welcome.
>
> The workshop will result in a themed edition of the journal  
> _Intersections_  http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/ due  
> for release in April 2009.
>
> Keynote speaker: Professor Christine Yano (University of Hawaii)  
> speaking on the global Hello Kitty Fandom.
>
> Other invited speakers include: Professor Chris Berry (Goldsmiths  
> University) speaking on BL fan circles in Shanghai; Dr Kazumi  
> Nagaike (Oita University) speaking on the history and cultural  
> context of Japanese BL fandom; Dr Sharalyn Orbaugh (University of  
> British Columbia) speaking on yaoi influence on the Harry Potter  
> fandom; Dr Larissa Hjorth (RMIT) speaking on "cute customisation"  
> across Japanese and Korean new media; Dr Fran Martin (University of  
> Melbourne) speaking on the BL fandom in Taiwan.
>
> Please send 250 word title and abstract and a short biography to Dr  
> Mark McLelland (markmc at uow.edu.au) and Dr Fran Martin  
> (f.martin at unimelb.edu.au) by 25 October 2007. A limited number of  
> travel bursaries will be available.
>
> Mark McLelland
> Toyota Visiting Professor
> Center for Japanese Studies
> University of Michigan
> 1080 South University Suite 3640
> Ann Arbor MI 48109-1106
>
> Email: mjmclell at umich.edu