Call for Papers (closed)

Swiftposium 2024

Sunday 11th - Tuesday 13th February, 2024

Taylor Swift has emerged as a cultural icon of extraordinary influence. Swiftposium is a hybrid academic conference for scholars to engage in critical dialogue about Swift’s popularity and its profound implications for a range of issues including gender, fandom, popular culture, literature, the economy, the music industry, and more. Swiftposium has been collaboratively organised by scholars from six universities across Australia and New Zealand.

The organisers invite academic researchers from around the world to submit proposals for Swiftposium, although we will be prioritising papers from the Asia-Pacific region. Contributions are welcomed from a broad range of academic disciplines linked to the conference themes (below). The organisers particularly encourage papers from postgraduate (HDR) researchers and early career researchers.

Themes may include, but are not limited to:

  • ‘You know I adore you, I'm crazier for you’: The phenomenon of fandom, including its histories, psychological underpinnings, and social implications.

  • ‘This city screams your name’: The impacts of international touring and large events, particularly Taylor Swift, on urban landscapes and the cultural identity of cities.

  • ‘Shade never made anybody less gay’: Taylor Swift's relationship to social movements such as feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, including her influence on political discourse and advocacy.

  • ‘Who knows, if I never showed up, what could have been’: The economic reverberations of Taylor Swift's cultural prominence, uncovering the intersections between art, entrepreneurship, and industry.

  • ‘If I was a man, then I’d be The Man’: Taylor Swift, and gender and sexuality.

  • 'When my depression works the graveyard shift': Mental health discourse and Taylor Swift.

  • ‘You're really gonna be someone’: Reflecting on Taylor Swift's impact on contemporary discourses about gender, identity, race, and intersectionality.

  • ‘And when you can’t sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies): Taylor Swift, streaming platforms, and intellectual property (Taylor’s version).

  • ‘I can read you like a magazine’: Literary interpretations of Taylor Swift.

  • ‘I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere’: Taylor Swift as pop culture catalyst, prophet and mirror.

  • ‘’Cause baby, now we’ve got bad blood’: Taylor Swift’s marketing strategy and communications.

  • ‘One single symbolic dollar’: Taylor Swift, #metoo, and the law.

We also invite proposals that fall outside the themes above, including creative and non-traditional approaches. Critical engagement with the Taylor Swift phenomenon is encouraged, and diverse voices and opinions are welcome.

Key Dates

Abstract Submission Open:        20 September 2023

Abstract Submissions Close:      11:59 pm AEDT Sunday 5 November 2023

Presenters Notified:                    30 November 2023

Registration opens:                     20 December 2023   - Invited speakers only

Registration closes: 25 January 2024                                                                        

Location information

Swiftposium will take place at the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia from Sunday 11th February – Tuesday 13th February 2024. This will be a hybrid event.

Abstract Submission

Please submit abstracts of 300 words. Please include your name, affiliation, title of the paper, and a short biography. Submission portal can be found below.

Proposal Types

Papers

Papers should be 15 minutes long and should present a traditional academic approach including background, literature, data, and findings or conclusions about the research. Papers can be co-authored and co-presented.

Panels

Panels should be collaboratively conceived and present a consistent theme. They can include papers from 3 - 4 scholars, papers in a panel are typically limited to 10-15 minutes. Panels can also take the form of a more free-flowing discussion between scholars on a consistent them. This discussion can last up 45-60 minutes. All panels are followed by a group Q and A with the audience.

Posters

A poster presents academic research using images and text to present an engaging summary of critical research. Similar to papers, posters should include an introduction, a summary of the research background, methods, and present a discussion of findings, and include conclusions about the research. Posters are particularly suitable for research in progress, but where tentative findings, themes and conclusions are emerging from the work.

Creative presentation

A creative presentation is a non-traditional paper (15 minutes) that features both creative and critical elements. It may be presented individually or as a collective - for example, a series of poems or creative writing, followed by a critical discussion or Q and A. Creative presentations should have a scholarly grounding, but have been included to allow more flexibility for approaches to Taylor Swift by creative practitioners and researchers. 

Performance

A performance (15 minutes) may take the form of artwork, dance, theatre, spoken word, or music, accompanied by a critical framing of the performance (either written or in the form of discussion). Although this is an academic conference, we have a broad interdisciplinary focus and have included this presentation type given Taylor Swift’s influence on the discipline of the performing arts.

 

Registration

Registration fees will be offered on a sliding scale, to facilitate participation from a broad range of academics. Registration is for invited speakers only and will not be posted on the website.

In recognition of the public interest in this conference, there will be two public-facing events available to a public audience. Details to be communicated soon.