CFP Transnational Boys’ Love (BL) Fan Studies

Transnational Boys’ Love (BL) Fan Studies, special issue of TWC
Call for Papers Date: 2012-03-01
Date Submitted: 2011-06-06
Announcement ID: 185722


“Transnational Boys’ Love Fan Studies,” a special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, edited by Kazumi Nagaike and Katsuhiko Suganuma, Oita University

The editors of this special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures seek papers examining the activities of transnational ‘BL’ (Boys’ Love) fans, fan communities, fandom, and the production of fan fiction beyond Japan and North America. Specifically, we are seeking contributors who are engaged in the exploration of non-Japanese and non-North American contexts (e.g. Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, and others). Transnational BL fan studies may also be incorporated into the broader socio/political critical frameworks offered by studies in economics, gender/sexuality, race/class, and other areas.

‘BL’ (Boys’ Love), a genre of male homosexual narratives (consisting of manga, novels, animations, games, films, and so forth) written by and for women, has recently been acknowledged, by Japanese and non-Japanese scholars alike, as a significant component of Japanese popular culture. The aesthetic and style of Japanese BL have also been assumed, deployed and transformed by female fans transnationally. The current thrust of transnational BL practices raises a number of important issues relating to socio/cultural constructs of BL localization and globalization.

We welcome submissions dealing with, but not limited to, the following topics:

--Case-studies and ethnographic examinations of BL fans, specifically examining fans’ sex/gender, age, occupation, class, race/ethnicity, et cetera.

--Local ethnographies relating to BL fans’ production, distribution, and use of these materials. Discussions concerning the ways in which broadly framed socio/political issues or forms of consciousness (e.g. gender/sexuality formations, authorities’ interference, censorship, and so forth) impact fans’ BL activities.

--Media and social responses to fans’ involvement in BL activities.

--Commercial aspects of BL and fans’ contribution to the development of BL economics.

--The integration of research on BL fans into a wider discussion of social theory, differing cultural discourses, and globalization.

--Discussions concerning the ways in which BL fans’ forms of production, distribution, and consumption might challenge traditional notions of Author, Reader, and Text.

--Theoretical overviews reflecting traditional/contemporary ideas of fandom, fans, fan communities, and fans’ means of communications, demonstrating how these ideas specifically relate to BL fans.

--Explorations of the ways in which BL participants are motivated to become involved in other fan-oriented activities (e.g. cosplay; female fans’ cross-dressing as male BL characters).

##Submissions##

TWC accommodates academic articles of varying scope as well as other forms that embrace the technical possibilities of the Web and test the limits of the genre of academic writing. Contributors are encouraged to include embedded links, images, and videos in their articles or to propose submissions in alternative formats that might comprise interviews, collaborations, or video/multimedia works. We are also seeking reviews of relevant books, events, courses, platforms, or projects.

--Theory: Often interdisciplinary essays with a conceptual focus and a theoretical frame that offer expansive interventions in the field. Peer review. Length: 5,000–8,000 words plus a 100–250-word abstract.

--Praxis: Analyses of particular cases that may apply a specific theory or framework to an artifact; explicate fan practice or formations; or perform a detailed reading of a text. Peer review. Length: 4,000–7,000 words plus a 100–250-word abstract.

--Symposium: Short pieces that provide insight into current developments and debates. Editorial review. Length: 1,500–2,500 words.

Submissions are accepted online only. Please visit TWC’s Web site for complete submission guidelines, or e-mail editor@transformativeworks.org.

##Due dates##

Contributions for blind peer review (Theory and Praxis essays) are due by March 1, 2012.

Contributions that undergo editorial review (Symposium, Interview, Review) are due by April 1, 2012.



Kazumi Nagaike, nagaikeoita-u.ac.jp
Katsuhiko Suganuma, suganumaoita-u.ac.jp
Oita University, Japan
Email: nagaike@cc.oita-u.ac.jp
Visit the website at http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/announcement/view/19