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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Call for Chapters – Cultural Depictions of the Stepmother: Literature, Stage, and Screen



This call is for abstracts for a scholarly, international edited collection entitled, Cultural Depictions of the Stepmother: Literature, Stage, and Screen. Currently I am seeking a number of academics and professionals in the field who might like to send me an abstract for consideration for inclusion in the book.



The aim of this scholarly edited collection is to reveal how, in any society, the personal expectations and actual experiences of the stepmother may differ from the societal and cultural expectations and realities of the role. The further aim is to show how the stepmother is perceived in the popular views of a particular society, as demonstrated in the literature, stage, screen, and pop culture narratives, of that society.



To whatever degree, every culture in the world is different to all others. Yet, in any culture, religious and cultural beliefs are inseparable, intrinsic one to the other, and are important to the traditions, customs, practices and laws of any particular culture or society. One figure that remains consistent in almost every culture, and that attracts the attention, is the stepmother. Regardless of whether a culture is mainly monogamous or polygamous, the stepmother is one of the female figures that are central to the family, the community and hence the society and the culture. Various sources define the stepmother as: a woman who is married to one’s father after the divorce or separation of one’s parents or the death of one’s natural mother; a non-biological female parent who is married to a child’s biological male parent. An added complexity exists: statistics indicate that globally, there has been an increase of children born outside of marriage and who are raised by their cohabiting or non-cohabiting parents. Thus, a stepmother can be a woman who either marries or is the female partner of a man who has biological children resulting from a former marriage, or a previous union with some other woman. A woman may also become a stepmother by default as in the case of, say, raising the children of a deceased (or otherwise absent) relative, or an orphan or an abandoned child as if her own offspring. Thus, given that cultural and religious, and social traditions, and laws vary widely across the globe, a woman may become the stepmother either by fact or by custom, or by religious or civil law, or by de facto relationship, or by guardianship. In most though not necessarily all cultures, and according to the religious and cultural beliefs and laws of a culture, as well as the civil laws of that country, a man who has been but is no longer married may remarry; and in some other cultures also, a man who is currently married may marry or take a second wife who may be expected to act as stepmother to his biological children by another previous marriage or union that has ended, or by agreement between the child’s/children’s biological parents.



It is generally understood that whether she is welcomed by her new family or not, a man’s first wife or female partner brings with her some baggage into the life of the man she either weds or cohabits or has a relationship with, and hence into the family into which she marries or enters in some way. Perhaps this may be more so in the case of the stepmother—a second (or further) wife or female partner of a man who already has a biological child/or children from a former relationship. Sometimes, too, a woman who becomes a stepmother will bring her own biological offspring into the union. It is well documented that parenting can be a difficult task at times. For a stepmother, the challenges, problems, and the difficulties in raising some other woman’s biological children may differ to those experienced by the biological mother. Questions arise: within any culture, what are the implications for a woman who weds or become the female partner of a widower or a divorced or separated man who is actively involved with, or is responsible for, his biological child/children from a previous union? Likewise, what are the implications for a stepmother in a) a polygamous arrangement, and b) for a stepmother in a monogamous relationship?



Some suggestions for potential contributors to consider, and that could be addressed, may include but not limited to, are:
What are the cultural and social duties and expectations of the stepmother; and what are her personal realities and expectations, as depicted in the popular culture of a particular culture/society? Is it possible to detect differences or sameness between the fictionalized portrayals and the realities and social dictates of that culture?
How do class, ethnicity, culture, race, gender, and possibly history, shape depictions of the stepmother, as indicated in the popular screen, stage, and literary productions of any one particular culture?
What is the range of ways in which the stepmother is represented in the popular/social culture of the various societies?
Are there any powerful cultural or socially historical antecedents for the representations of the stepmother in popular/social culture, as screen, stage, and literary productions?
What are the creators’ and/or the producers’ intentions behind their portrayals of the stepmother; what are their messages for their audiences?
How would we establish the underlying cultural, historical, or production motivations for particular depictions of the stepmother? How often, if at all, are these representations told from the point-of-view of the stepmother herself? Alternatively, how often, if at all, are these representations told from the point-of-view of the stepchild/stepchildren, or the husband or partner of that woman herself?
Is there a difference between the ways in which the stepmother is depicted in film for small and large screen, and between those mediums to the depictions in drama, and to literature? Or in these depictions, is there a reasonably broad consensus between these genres?



This collection of scholarly essays will make an intervention in the field: it will be the first of its kind to make a comprehensive study of what being a stepmother means to and for the woman, to the family, the community, the culture, and the society to which she belongs. This to investigate whether or not there are characteristic features of the stepmother between cultures that may have either some similarity, or that are totally dissimilar; explore the popular beliefs and popular culture in relation to stepmother-hood in any one or more society/ies; document and record how various eastern and western societies perceive and represent the socially and culturally important figure of the stepmother in screen, stage, and literary works, including folk tales and pop culture narratives; indicate if there is agreement or difference between the various cultures on how the figure of the stepmother is depicted in popular culture to the viewing/reading audiences; establish a new and dynamic area of theoretical research crossing family studies, women’s studies, cultural studies, social history, gender studies, social studies, and the humanities in general; point the way to possible future cross-disciplinary work through examining various peoples and societies by way of cultural depictions of the stepmother; and permit scholarly consideration of the extent to which the creators and producers of narratives about the stepmother place this figure on the perimeter of society or at its center.



Submission instructions:

At this initial stage, in lieu of “chapters,” this proposed work, Cultural Depictions of the Stepmother, calls for extended abstracts for consideration for inclusion in the book.
The extended abstracts must be more than 1,500 words and less than 2,000 words. Full-length chapters of not less than, say, 7,000 words, and no more than 8,500 words each (including notes but excluding references lists, title of work, and key words), will be solicited from these abstracts.
Please keep in mind that your essay-chapter will be written from your extended abstract. Your abstract will carry the same title as your essay-chapter
To be considered, an abstract must be written in English, and submitted as a Word document.
When writing your abstract use Times New Roman point 12, and 1.15 spacing.
At the beginning of your extended abstract, immediately after the title of your work and your name, add 5 to 8 keywords that best relate to your work.
Use the Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition.
Since this work is intended for Lexington Books, USA, please use American (US) spelling not English (UK) spelling, and not Australian English spelling.
Use the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
For this project it is most important to use an impersonal academic voice when writing your abstract, and possibly your chapter later. That is, do not use the teacherly voice (“as we will see…”; “here we see…”; “as it will become clear”; …); and do not use 1st person or the personal voice (I; We will find; We find; You; Us; …).
Use endnotes not footnotes, use counting numbers not Roman numerals, and keep the endnotes to a bare minimum, working the information into the text where possible.
Do cite all your work in your extended abstract as you would in a full chapter: a) In the body of the abstract, add parenthetical in-text citations (family name of author and year, and page number/s) (e.g. Smith 2019, 230); b) And fully reference all in-text citations in detail and in alphabetical order, in the References list at the end of your abstract.
Please send your completed abstract as a Word document attached to an email, by the date given in this call for papers.
To this same email please also attach, as separate Word documents, the following:
Your covering letter, giving your academic title/s, affiliation, your position, and your home and telephone numbers, your home address, and your email contact details.
A short bio of no more than 250 words.
Your C.V., including a full list of your publications and giving the publishing details and dates, and including those in press.

Deadline for abstract submissions: April 30, 2024

Editor: Dr Jo Parnell, PhD| Researcher, and Honorary Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Science, College of Human and Social Futures, University of Newcastle, Australia.



Papers should be forwarded to:

Monday, February 26, 2024

Call For Applications : Summer workshop on The Question of Representation in #Contemporary #Indian #Literature( Funded Accommodation)-University of Tübingen, Germany



Summer Workshop at the University of Tübingen, Germany

10-12.06.2024 (in person)



In Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath refers to the Aesopian fable of the painting of the lion. The lion complains about the painting, which demonstrates a man defeating a lion, and asserts that the painting would look very different if a lion had painted it. And so asks the Wife of Bath: ‘Who painted the lion, tell me, who?’



If the dominant narrative is shaped by the powerful and the victorious, then voice, narration, and representation become powerful tools, especially for marginalized groups.. Re-examining and interrogating these frames of reference help to find new answers to important questions: who gets to tell whose story? Who has what at stake and who is representing whom? Where does the line between fiction and authentic representation get drawn?

Who is allowed to tell whose story? If in fiction one is allowed to only tell their own privately lived experiences, how is that fiction? What does it do to representation of groups that are already endangered?

In this context, the question of authentic voice and its representation looms paramount and the writing of literature its biggest ally.



Gayatri Chakrovarty Spivak asked in her influential work ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’ (1988), and scholarly work in literary and critical studies is still attempting to satisfactorily answer the question. Are the powerless ever able to raise their voice in a world where even the medium of language is biased to favor those in power?

Postcolonial and subaltern studies have repeatedly questioned the ways in which established ideologies suppress the needs and demands of the most vulnerable sections of a society. These questions take on even more significance in literature from India where issues of caste, class, religion and gender, and the many inbuilt inequalities and discriminations, constantly determine identity and its representation. The reading of literature presents a richer understanding of this new and complex world, where capitalism disrupts and catapults lives, and a postcolonial framework seeks to define itself without its colonial past, and not simply react to it.



The workshop’s interdisciplinary approach looks at the topic and the literary frameworks that surround it from two points of view: the literature on the page and its many facets, as well as the tools employed in the writing of that literature. The two-pronged outlook will help deepen the understanding of what is perceived as literature and its production.

The workshop encompasses the wider areas of subaltern and postcolonial studies, as well as the craft employed in a work of literature. Researchers are invited to engage with the questions of representation and its nature in contemporary Indian literature, as well as in the wider postcolonial framework.



The following themes within research will be given priority for participation:



· Subaltern and marginalized voices in Indian literature

· Point of view and narrative in fiction

· Representation of the subaltern

· Identity and power in terms of religion, caste, class, gender, and sexuality

· Writing and marginalized voices

· Narrative and language

· Revisionist narratives

· Identity politics in Indian literature

· The writing of contemporary Indian fiction

· Identity in postcolonial literature

· Postcolonial subjects and identities

· Nation, nationalism and literature

· Perspective and voice in creative writing



For an interdisciplinary approach, we encourage participants who work in literary studies, creative writing, history, philosophy, anthropology, cultural studies, linguistics, psychology, political sciences, sociology, and artificial intelligence for arts to apply.



We invite researchers to present 20 minute presentations of papers and articles. Abstracts of up to 300 words, with a brief bio note, and a short academic CV, should be sent to srishti.chaudhary@uni-tuebingen.de or on the form linked here:



https://forms.gle/GBML7SoGMiFJrKmy7



Deadline: 15.03.2024

Notice of acceptance: 22.03.2024



The accommodation for the duration of the workshop for all participants is funded as a part of the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal and State Governments.

Transportation costs will have to be self-funded.




Srishti Chaudhary

Call For Research Articles on Film Studies in Southeast Asia, China, East Asia, and India's Northeast-Rising Asia Journal

 Rising Asia Journal invites Research Articles on Film Studies in the geographical areas of Southeast Asia, East Asia (Japan, China, the Koreas, and Taiwan), and India's North-East Region, on all aspects of these Asian societies. Authors may use any thematic or theoretical discourse such as gender, race, colonialism and post-colonialism, and others.

Articles should be between 5,000 to 10,000 words in length, with footnotes, and Works Cited.

Authors are urged to visit the journal's website at www.rajraf.org to read the submission guidelines. 

Articles should be original, and should offer a new and innovative perspective.

Please send your articles to our Editorial Board Member Professor Tuan Hoang at tuan.hoang@pepperdine.edu as well as to our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Harish C. Mehta at hmehta76@yahoo.caRising Asia Journal invites Research Articles on Film Studies in the geographical areas of Southeast Asia, East Asia (Japan, China, the Koreas, and Taiwan), and India's North-East Region, on all aspects of these Asian societies. Authors may use any thematic or theoretical discourse such as gender, race, colonialism and post-colonialism, and others.

Articles should be between 5,000 to 10,000 words in length, with footnotes, and Works Cited.

Authors are urged to visit the journal's website at www.rajraf.org to read the submission guidelines. 

Articles should be original, and should offer a new and innovative perspective.


Deadline for submissions:  June 1, 2024
full name / name of organization:  Rising Asia Journal

contact email:  tuan.hoang@pepperdine.edu

Please send your articles to our Editorial Board Member Professor Tuan Hoang at tuan.hoang@pepperdine.edu as well as to our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Harish C. Mehta at hmehta76@yahoo.ca

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Call For Articles : Special Issue “World Mythology and Ecocriticism: Remembering Nature as a Sacred Teacher”-Rachel McCoppin - Humanities Journal



Special Issue “World Mythology and Ecocriticism: Remembering Nature as a Sacred Teacher”

A special issue of Humanities.

This Special Issue focuses specifically on the role that nature plays within world mythology. The environment undoubtedly played a crucial role in developing the mythological narratives of many cultures throughout the globe. Many cultures regarded nature as sacred, envisioning aspects of the environment, being directly related to divine beings, sacred forces, teachers, etc. Often, cultures imagined that the representatives of nature needed to be appeased in order to gain harmony with their environments. Many cultures also used their mythology to connect nature to the lives of human beings—connecting the cycle of the seasons to the life cycle of humans for instance. Identifying humans as inextricably connected with the natural world allowed a myriad of cultures to find meaning in their own lives, as nature in myth was often portrayed as a teacher, guide, source of inspiration, etc., for the characters within the myth, as well as the audiences of the myth. As civilizations grew and developed, often the mythological references to the importance of nature as something sacred diminished, but some mythic texts still imparted messages that strove to maintain reverence for the environment. Given the contemporary environmental crisis, it is important to look back on the texts that were once sacred to a people, in order to remember the great value of finding our own reverence in the natural world.

This Special Issue is particularly interested in receiving articles that discuss global mythological texts from an ecocritical lens. Articles that examine myths that connect natural occurrences to the lives of humans—looking at age from the standpoint of seasonal change, accepting death as a natural occurrence, etc., are especially desirable. Additionally, texts that present nature as a divine being, sacred embodiment, source of inspiration, source of contention, etc., are welcomed. Articles that focus on global creation myths, myths that present nature as divine, myths of humans contending with nature, either through marriage to a natural element, battling with a natural representative, or even becoming a natural element, are all highly desirable. Additionally, myths that mark a time of transition of values in the portrayal of the environment, such as the progression from hunter/gatherer methods to agricultural methods, or the destruction of the environment as technology advanced, are desired. Finally, myths that focus upon the heroic journey, casting the protagonist as a personification of nature, or showing the protagonist as failing or succeeding upon his or her quest because of nature, are especially sought after. This Special Issue is interested in mythic texts from around the world, from any era.



Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Humanities is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords:
World Mythology
Ecocriticism
Mythic Studies
Environmental Studies
Hero’s Journey/Quest

This special issue is now open for submission.
deadline for submissions: December 10, 2024

contact email: mccoppin@umn.edu

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Call for essays for special issue of Journal of Global #Postcolonial Studies on contemporary African novelists in America

 Call for Papers for forthcoming special issue on Contemporary African Novelists in America 

Guest editor Simon Lewis is seeking manuscript submissions for a special issue on contemporary African writers who have come to prominence in the United States over the last two decades. 

When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie burst onto the North American publishing scene in 2003, the publication of her brilliant debut novel Purple Hibiscus didn’t just signal the start of a single author’s brilliant career. It also forged a path for a whole new generation of African novelists who had come to America as immigrants or students and who have been mining that experience in their writing. Writers born in Africa who studied at American universities – Teju Cole, Taiye Selasie, Yaa Gyasi, Uzodinma Iweala, NoViolet Bulawayo and Akwaeke Emezi, to name just a few – have followed in Adichie’s footsteps. Purple Hibiscus has been to these writers what Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) was to aspiring Latin American writers during the Latin American literary boom of the 1960s and 1970s, and what Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children (1981) was to the proliferation of Indian writers in English from the 1980s on. 

In addition to articles analyzing individual authors and/or their work, we warmly invite essays on any of the following themes:

 Immigration;

 Racism;

 Diaspora; 

 Gender; 

 Sexuality; 

 History;

 Regionalism; 

 Education; 

 Publishing.

Submission Instructions: Manuscripts of c. 5,000 words and following MLA guidelines for formatting should be submitted by September 1, 2024 according to the Journal’s guidelines at https://journals.upress.ufl.edu/jgps 

Preliminary ideas and/or complete articles can be submitted to the guest editor at: Simon Lewis, English Department, College of Charleston, LewisS@cofc.edu

Contact Information

Simon Lewis, Department of English, College of Charleston

Contact Email
lewiss@cofc.edu

Friday, February 23, 2024

Call for Submissions- International #Gender and #Sexuality Studies #Conference on "Recognition, Resistance, Resilience,"

 The International Gender and Sexuality Studies Conference, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma’s Women’s Research Center and the BGLTQ+ Student Center in collaboration with the UCO chapter of the National Organization for Women, is calling for submissions for its ninth annual conference. Themed "Recognition, Resistance, Resilience," the conference aims to foster diverse perspectives on these themes.

The deadline for abstract submissions is Friday, April 19. To submit an abstract, visit go.uco.edu/igss. The conference is scheduled for Sept. 28–29, and will take place in the UCO Nigh University Center, located on Central’s campus.

The conference invites students, faculty, staff, scholars, activists and artists to propose presentations or performances in creative disciplines such as literature, theater, music, dance and visual art. All interested parties are invited to submit abstracts for papers, panels, roundtable discussions and/or poster presentations that explore issues related to women, gender and sexuality studies. Submissions from various disciplines, including social sciences, humanities, fine arts, activism and STEM fields, are encouraged. The selection committee interprets the theme broadly, embracing intersectional and interdisciplinary thinking.

This year’s keynote speaker is Anna Cox, M.F.A., author of "I Keep My Worries in My Teeth" and director of the Studio School at Oklahoma Contemporary.

Drawing from her background in photography and pedagogy, she will deliver a talk on her fiction writing practices and collaborations with artists.

Contact Information

Lindsey Churchill, Ph.D., director of the Women’s Research Center and the BGLTQ+ Student Center

Contact Email
lchurchill@uco.edu

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Seeking Chapter Submissions: Going to the Movies with CS Lewis-#Cambridge Scholars Publishing

 Going to the Movies with C.S. Lewis, Call for Chapters

An edited collection tentatively titled “Going to the Movies with C.S. Lewis” is seeking chapter submissions. The book is expected to be published through Cambridge Scholars Publishing.  

Having been born many years after C.S. Lewis died I of course never had the opportunity to watch a movie with the man. However, over the years I feel, as many others probably feel as well, like Lewis accompanies me as I watch movies, read books, attend church services, and make other daily pursuits. Lewis’ works shape my thinking on many theological, educational, and cultural matters like few other authors’ works do.

This book is an attempt to take some of those insights from C.S. Lewis and apply them to film studies. It will explore the thought and theology of C.S. Lewis by connecting his work with film theory, specific films, and adaptations of his work. In many ways it is a book meant to explore how Lewis’ thought can help us view films.

The following categories are meant to act as general guidance for sections of the book:

  1. Exploring Film Theory with C.S. Lewis
  2. Exploring Individual Films with C.S. Lewis
  3. Analyzing Lewis’ Life through Films of About Lewis
  4. Analyzing Lewis’ Fiction through Adaptations of his works

Some chapter ideas that would fit into the above categories include, but are not limited to:

  1. The Four Loves on film
  2. Lewis’ approach to literature as a guide to approaching film
  3. “On the Reading of Old Books” and On the Watching of Old Movies
  4. Lewis’ idea of fantasy in relation to particular films
  5. Ideas in his essays or books that relate to film studies, film theory, or individual films
  6. The many different Narnia adaptations (comparisons between the versions or examinations of particular films as adaptations of the original stories)
  7. Lewis’ thoughts on Christmas and Christmas movies (what would Lewis think of Hallmark Christmas movies?)
  8. Lewis portrayed on film – how does this change the way he is viewed?

Again, these are only suggestions. Anything connecting Lewis’ thought with the cinema will be considered.  

Submission Procedure

Please submit a chapter proposal by March 31, 2024 which includes the following: title, abstract, and a short biography of the author(s). Proposals should be a maximum of 500 words written in English, using Microsoft Word format, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. Please send the Word document as an attachment to the book editor (Bryan Mead, bmead@etbu.edu). Authors of accepted proposals will be notified and sent specific submission guidelines. Chapter contributions should be at least 4,000 words and will follow Chicago style (footnotes and bibliography). Submissions are welcome from early career researchers and established scholars.

If your proposal is accepted, chapter submissions will be due by September 15, 2024. Proposal acceptance does not guarantee chapter’s inclusion in the book.

Editor Information: Bryan Mead, Ph.D, is Assistant Professor of English at East Texas Baptist University where he teaches film studies, literature, and composition. He is the author of Writing in Film Studies, From Professional Practice to Practical Pedagogy (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2024). Bryan has also published many essays in journals such as Journal of Religion & Film, Journal of European Popular Culture, Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture, Intégrité: A Faith and Learning Journal, and Film & History. His essays have also appeared in edited volumes such as J.R.R. Tolkien and the Arts: A Theology of Subcreation (Square Halo Press, 2021), Representations of Sports Coaches in Film: Looking to Win (Routledge, 2017), and The Arts of Memory and the Poetics of Remembering (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016).