Welcome to the Motherhood/Fatherhood & Popular Culture community! We’re so happy you’re here and we want you take full advantage of the opportunities our new platform provides. Please read over the code of conduct so we can continue to ensure a safe and supportive space for all. Thank you for your dedication to the Popular Culture Association!

CALL FOR PAPERS

The PCA Area Motherhood/Fatherhood is seeking papers on any aspect of motherhood and/or fatherhood, or parenting more inclusively defined, in popular culture. This area explores the representation and practice of motherhood/fatherhood/parenting in all forms of popular culture, from mass media to social media to everyday life.  Scholars, educators, artists, filmmakers and others are encouraged to submit your work for consideration.

You can submit an individual paper for a panel, or you can submit papers as a group to create a special panel on a particular topic of interest. Panels are each an hour and a half long, usually with four papers per panel.  Presentations should be about 15 minutes long, to ensure time for discussion at the end of the session.

Possible topics to consider include, but are not limited to, the following:

·      TV shows, including talk shows, family dramas, sitcoms, and animation

·      print and electronic journalism, including magazines and gossip

·      film (documentary and narrative)

·      music

·      political impact on motherhood and fatherhood

·      reproductive technologies

·      law and policy; maternal and paternal activism/organizations

·      celebrity culture

·      internet and digital technologies, including blogging, online “mompreneurship,” parenting apps

·      advertising and marketing

·      visual art including photography, scrapbooking, mixed media

·      graphic fiction/memoir

·      best-selling literatures including mommy lit, momoirs, and dadlit

·      pregnancy manuals and “expert” parenting guides/literature

·      queer parenting

Abstracts and panel proposals (200-250 words) will be accepted and must be submitted online at: https://pcaaca.org/

Please submit your abstract with a full presentation title, along with full contact information (name, institutional affiliation, email, address, and phone number).  Individuals must be current, paid members to submit to the conference.

If you are submitting a panel, please include the following:

·      Panel title

·      Names and contact information for all panel participants, indicating the panel chair

·      Titles and abstracts for each paper

Please send all inquiries to:

Dr. Kathryn Pallister, Area Chair

Communications Studies

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Red Deer Polytechnic, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

Email:  Kathryn.pallister@rdpolytech.ca

Important Dates to Remember:

• Database opens for Submissions - Sept. 1, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Begins - Sept. 1, 2025
• Deadline for Paper Proposals - Nov. 30, 2025
• Travel Grant Applications Due - Dec. 15, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Ends for Presenters - Dec. 31, 2025
• Regular Registration Begins for Presenters - Jan. 1, 2026 
• Travel Grant Decisions / Notifications - Jan. 31, 2026
• Regular Registration Ends for Presenters - Jan. 31, 2026
• Late Registration Starts for Presenters - Feb. 1, 2026
• Preliminary Program draft available - Feb. 6, 2026

Those Presenters Not Registered by Feb. 15 Will be Dropped from the Program

CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, GA - April 8-11, 2026