CALL FOR PAPERS
2013 Popular Culture Association (PCA)/American Culture Association (ACA)
Annual National Conference
Washington, D.C. 2013
The frequent appearance of mythological figures and motifs in all areas of popular culture speaks to the notion that mythologies, far from being relics of the past, continue to have significance in the contemporary world. Movies, television, computer games, comics, graphic novels, traditional literature, visual arts, performing arts, politics, blogs—the list goes on–contain both explicit and implicit epiphanies of archetypes such as Hermes and Isis and Kali, and of mythological narratives such as those found in classical Greek tragedies or medieval Grail legends, to name only a few examples. Contemporary revisionings and reinterpretations of ancient mythological elements reflect the attitudes of current culture.
Proposals that pertain to the general theme of Mythology in Contemporary Culture are welcomed. Please note that, for purposes of this area, the term “mythology” does not include postmodern evaluations or deconstructions of such “mythologies” as colonialism, structuralism or psychoanalysis.
For this 2013 Washington conference, we are especially encouraging presentations dealing with the “dangerous women” of mythology as they animate figures in contemporary culture. Such dangerous women might include seductresses such as Delilah, divinities whose spheres of action focus on disruption such as Nephthys and Eris, sorceresses such as Medea and Armida, and women, such as Helen of Troy, who are instruments of Fate or of divine vendettas.
Please submit an abstract of 250 words or less directly to http://ncp.pcaaca.org no later than December 7, 2012.
Questions about the Mythology in Contemporary Culture area may be directed to:
Kate Rittenhouse Stephen Y. Wilkerson
403-2050 Nelson Street 11 Timber Park Drive
Vancouver, BC V6G 1N6 OR Black Mountain, NC 28711-9460
Canada USA
(604) 836-5396 (828) 664-0518
earth2k8@mac.com sywilkers@aol.com