CALL FOR PAPERS: TRANSITIONS 9 – new directions in comics studies 2021
Online 8-10 April 2021
Hosted By BIRKBECK, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
Following the cancellation of Transitions 2020, we are delighted to re-announce the call for
papers for Transitions 9 in 2021. Transitions is a platform for emerging research in comics
that is free to attend and participate.
This event is focused towards postgraduate and early career speakers, and draws a diverse
crowd of both new and more established researchers, as well as creators, aficionados and
other interested parties. Our aim is to build connections between comics scholars working
in diverse contexts of research and practice, to provide a platform for productive debate,
and to create a space from which further collaborations can emerge.
Key note speakers: Prof Dr Sylvia Kesper-Biermann (Universität Hamburg) and Dr Nick
Sousanis (San Francisco State University)
Respondent(s): TBA
Rather than adopting a narrow theme, the shape and identity of the programme will
emerge from the submitted papers. We thus welcome abstracts for 20 minute papers, or
pre-constituted panels of three, on topics including (but not limited to):
- Comics, comix, comic strips, graphic novels, manga, manhwa, bande dessinée
- superheroes, adventure, war, horror, fantasy, crime, romance, humour & other
genres; documentary/historical/journalistic comics, autobiographical/biographical
modes, graphic medicine - politics of representation and inclusion in comics texts and productions, formal
approaches, transgressive comics, educational and didactic comics, comics for young
adults & children - readers and fandoms, creators, comics & the law, publishing histories, web-comics &
- comics exhibitions, transnational circulation, political economy of comics
Since Transitions this year will be held through video conferencing, we ask that presenters
record a 20 minute presentation in advance, which will be followed by live q&a sessions for
each panel. Further details for pre-recorded presentations will be shared once proposals
have been confirmed. As always, Transitions 9 will be free an open to all.
Please send your proposal to transitionssymposium@gmail.com
Please attach your abstract of 250-300 words plus a short biographical note (preferably as a
Word document), indicating ‘abstract’ in the email subject line and your name in the file’s
title.
This year we are also seeking volunteers to sketchnote / visually record each panel, in order
to compile a visual record of the conference. If you’d be interested in recording a panel,
please email us a couple of (low-res) images or a link to an online portfolio at the above
address with ‘sketchnoting’ in the subject line. You do not need to be submitting a paper to
take part in this.
The deadline for submissions is 7 March 2021. We aim to notify applicants by 14 March.
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