cfp.english.upenn.edu

Association for Research in Popular Fictions

Lads in popular fiction: a colloquium on contemporary masculinity
Saturday 18th February 2006
Liverpool John Moores University, UK

It is now more than 10 years since the period in which the figure known as the 'New lad' became prominent in popular culture. In the last two weeks, when a documentary screened on British TV referenced the New Lad in its claim that the balance of power has swung 'too far' in the direction of women, the relevance of this response to the much-discussed masculinity crisis of recent years has resurfaced. Research to date has highlighted the strong presence of the Lad in magazines, such as the notorious Loaded, but representations of the Lad and other models of masculinity in other media such as print fiction have been comparatively neglected.

We invite papers on the 'New Lad' and/or other representations and modes of masculinity in popular fictions and cultures, with a preference for papers focusing on texts and practices from 1990 onwards, for this colloquium.

Topics might include, but are not restricted to:

* Fictional and non-fictional representations of the 'masculinity crisis'
* Comedy and comedians in/as creators of masculinity narratives
* Maturity crisis? The search for adulthood
* Sport and other leisure activities
* Sitcom Man
* Fatherhood, the Lad Dad and paternal role models
* Women, femininity, and feminism
* Ladettes and masculinity in women or women's culture
* Men as consumers and consumed
* Metrosexuals and the alleged feminisation of men
* The Lad beyond heterosexuality
* Stupid White Men? Laddism and masculinity across races and ethnic groups

Abstracts of c. 250 words should be sent by 30th September 2005 to Jo Knowles at j.knowles_at_livjm.ac.uk.
ARPF website: www.arpf.org.uk

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Received on Sat Sep 10 2005 - 12:38:31 EDT