theory

Since the publication of Derrida's Specters of Marx (1993) and the resulting growth of Spectrality studies in the past twenty years, much attention has been devoted to literary works that portray a spectral entity that reconfigures the more traditional gothic vision of the ghost, especially in Western Literature. However, in recent years, literary works and scholars alike have responded to this Western bias by envisioning Hauntology as a method for recuperating the stories of marginalized groups. In this view, spectrality can also be employed as a metaphor for social invisibility, a model first expanded by Esther Peeren and Maria Blanco. 

Jordan Peele transformed the horror genre with his film Us, specifically with the creation of “The Tethered,” subterranean clones that are forced to mimic the lives of the people who live on the surface like stringless puppets. Whether intentional or not, Peele not only created a unique horror concept but a metaphor that can explain the everyday terrors experienced by many.

“To be or not to be”—Hamlet’s timeless question of existence—resonates with a gendered undertone that continues to echo through literature and culture. This panel asks a related question: what does it mean to be (or not to be) a man, and how do literary texts help illuminate that question across genres, periods, and geographies?

The rise of the superhero is one of the most significant cultural developments of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Since the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1 (April 18, 1938), superheroes have evolved from colorful comic-book figures into powerful global symbols that shape conversations about politics, morality, identity, technology, gender, race, mythology, trauma, and resistance. What began with the imaginative vision of Jerry Siegel (writer) and Joe Shuster (artist) has expanded into a worldwide phenomenon spanning comics, film, television, literature, gaming, digital media, and academic discourse.

Changeling Country: Neurodivergence, Disability and the Irish Imaginary

An edited volume proposed for Vernon Press, Irish Studies series Editor: Tess Ezzy — Director, Neurodivergent Creative Methods Lab; PhD candidate, University of New England

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Netrokona University, Bangladesh is delighted to inform that it is going to publish its double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal Sphaira: Journal of Arts and Humanities, volume 2, in December, 2026. Scholarly articles in English addressing contemporary issues within the fields of literature, linguistics, language teaching, education, fine arts, performance studies, folklore studies, cultural studies, literary theory, and history and archeology are called for publication in its second volume.

Manuscript development guidelines:

Call for Papers 

dialog Special Issue No. 48

Theme: Truth in Question: Literature, Narrative, and the Politics of Knowing

dialog, a fully peer-reviewed, bi-annual international journal of the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, invites submissions for its forthcoming special issue (No. 48) on “Truth in Question: Literature, Narrative, and the Politics of Knowing.” The journal provides a forum for interdisciplinary research engaging literature, culture, and critical theory.

40th INTERNATIONAL D. H. LAWRENCE CONFERENCE

March 18-19, 2027

L'Université Paris Nanterre

D. H. Lawrence and French literature, philosophy and theory

The ambition of this conference is to explore various kinds of connections between D. H. Lawrence’s oeuvre and French theory, philosophy and literature.

Call for Proposals

Special Issue of Philosophy, Politics and Critique

PAMLA Seattle (2026) - November 12-15, all in-person conference 

2027 is the centenary year of the birth of US American poet and Pulitzer Prize-winner, Galway Kinnell (1927-2014). This session seeks to celebrate his life and legacy while pointing to future thematic and prosodic engagement in Kinnellian studies. Papers offering approaches to any aspect of Kinnell’s work are invited and most welcome.

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Embodied Ecologies and Sacred Landscapes: Interpreting Indian Knowledge Tradition on Island Spaces (ISOIS 2026)

December 14-15, 2026

Concept Note:

Indian knowledge traditions have long imagined land, water, and life-worlds as sacred, relational, and more-than-human, weaving together rituals, narratives, cosmologies, and practices of care that exceed modern disciplinary boundaries. Island spaces—whether riverine sandbars, coastal archipelagos, sacred groves on hill-islands, or temple-tanks experienced as spiritual islands—offer particularly rich terrains for exploring embodied ecologies, ritualised forms of dwelling, and ecological memory.

Creativity and Praxis:

The Politics of Aesthetics in an Age of Polycrisis

An International Interdisciplinary Symposium, 1-2 October 2026

J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice

Adelaide University

North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia

Keynote Readings and Lectures by: 

J.M. Coetzee 

Anna Funder

Nam Le

Amy Villarejo

This CfP contains two individual sessions grouped under the rubric 'Rethinking Ecotheory' for the 62nd International Congress on Medieval Studies. Please see information for both sessions and separate links to apply below! Both sessions are sponsored by Medieval Ecocriticisms. Abstracts for both sessions are due by September 15th, 2026. Please contact the organizers Hunter (hap48@cornell.edu) and Basil (basil.price@oneonta.edu) with any questions.

Overview

Skenè Research Centre
Interdisciplinary Theatre and Drama Studies
Università di Verona

as part of the agreement with

Dipartimento di Filologia, Letteratura e Linguistica
Università di Pisa

Theatre and Anthropology

Theoretical Approaches to Text, Performance,

and Theatrical Practices

Verona (IT), November 19-20, 2026

Conference venue  
Dipartimento di Lingue e letterature straniere,
Polo Zanotto, Aula Co-Working
via S. Francesco 22,
Verona, Italy