Call for Papers
Classical Representations in Popular Culture
Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA)
Area Chair: Benjamin S. Haller (bhaller@vwu.edu)
45th Annual Conference, February 21-24, 2024
Marriott Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
http://www.southwestpca.org
Submissions open on September 1, 2023
Proposal submission deadline: October 31, 2023
Proposals for papers and panels are now being accepted for the 2024 annual SWPACA conference. One of the nation’s largest interdisciplinary academic conferences, SWPACA offers nearly 70 subject areas, each typically featuring multiple panels. For a full list of subject areas, area descriptions, and Area Chairs, please visit http://southwestpca.org/conference/call-for-papers/
Classical Representations in Popular Culture invites your submission!
Papers on any aspect of Greek, Roman, or Mediterranean antiquity in contemporary or popular culture are eligible for consideration.
Potential topics include representations of ancient literature or culture in:
- Classical Motifs/Allusions/Parallels in Popular Music
- Graphic Novels and Cartoons
- Cinema directly or indirectly reflecting aspects of the ancient world: recent films involving Classical themes which you might consider include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Oppenheimer (as Prometheus?), Barbie (and Pygmalion?), Gladiator II, Domina, The Legend of Hercules, Pompeii, La Grande Belezza, Inside Llewyn Davis, the new Ben Hur, as well as television series which engage with classical themes like Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Spartacus, Battlestar Galactica.
- Literary Theory/Postcolonial Theory/Reception Studies:
- Literary or theoretical analysis of literature employing classical references or motifs, like Madeline Miller’s Circe, Anne Carson’s Autobiography of Red, or Margaret Atwood’s Penelopiad.
- Classical themes in productions of theater, opera, ballet, music, and the visual arts.
- Science Fiction/Fantasy: Analysis of representations of classical history, literature, or philosophy in science fiction movies or books, as Edward Gibbons to Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy or the impact of Thucydides in Cold War cinema. Or, conversely, the influence of Science Fiction on representations of the ancient world in later cinema (e.g., how did George Lucas’ empire of the Star Wars franchise influence later representations of the Roman Empire?)
- Pedagogy: applications of classics in popular culture: how can we use contemporary films, literature in the classroom?
- Children’s Literature: Greek and Roman mythology in children’s film, television, or literature.
Panels: We have had some amazing pre-arranged panels appear at SWPACA in recent years: if your paper is being submitted as part of a panel, please include in your abstract a sentence indicating the name of the panel you are proposing and who else is in the panel.
All proposals must be submitted through the conference’s database at http://register.southwestpca.org/southwestpca
For details on using the submission database and on the application process in general, please see the Proposal Submission FAQs and Tips page at http://southwestpca.org/conference/faqs-and-tips/faqs-and-tips-for-presenters/
Individual proposals for 15-minute papers must include an abstract of approximately 200-500 words. Including a brief bio in the body of the proposal form is encouraged, but not required.
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2023.
For information on how to submit a proposal for a roundtable or a multi-paper panel, please view the above FAQs and Tips page.
SWPACA offers monetary awards for the best graduate student papers in a variety of categories. For more information, visit http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/ In addition, please check out the organization’s peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, at http://journaldialogue.org/
If you have any questions about the Classical Representations in Popular Culture area, please contact its Area Chair, Benjamin S. Haller, Virginia Wesleyan University, bhaller@vwu.edu. Presenters from past years, please note that Virginia Wesleyan’s name has changed, and our emails have changed as well: Ben Haller’s Virginia Wesleyan vwc.edu email posted on past CFPs will no longer work.
We look forward to receiving your submissions!
