cfp.english.upenn.edu

Call for Contributors: Film, Disney, Diversity (collection)

Articles are sought for an edited collection of film criticism on representations of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and other forms of difference in Disney features to be published by McFarland. While there has been much scholarship on the globalization and economics of empire of Disney, there has been comparatively less work has been done on film analysis. The last decade or so has seen Disney take on more “ethnic” fare with Mulan, Aladdin, etc., unsettle conventional gender notions and romance with fairy-tale fractures, produce a wealth of more diverse fare with its Disney/Pixar franchise, as well as venture into direct-to-DVD films, some of which are revisionist visions of older films, (i.e. Cinderella III and Return to Neverland). There have also been more secondary characters embodying various kinds of difference, i.e. Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Scar in The Lion King. With continued interest in race/gender/class/sexuality as well as the emergence of Disability Studies and Masculinity Studies in particular, this collection aims to re-examine or examine anew representations of various forms of diversity in Disney feature films.

Possible topics include: (sample films provided as food for thought, not exhaustive by any means)
• Gender: femininity, masculinity, gender roles, asexuality of the fairies and other characters.
• Race/Ethnicity: Various ethnic characters or groups, including older films such as Native Americans in Peter Pan, Latino/a-Americans in The Three Caballeros, Disney’s WWII shorts, The Jungle Book, as well as non-human representations  the “Black Crows” of Dumbo, Siamese cats as “inscrutable” Asians in Lady and the Tramp.
• Sexuality/Queer Sexuality: “the seven dwarves,” Robin Hood’s “merry men,” etc.
• Disability: Freaks/Freak Shows (Dumbo) and monstrosity (Cruella, Monsters, Inc.), Beasts/Hunchbacks/Dwarves, ADHD (Dorry in Nemo), other disabled/non-ordinary bodies (Pinocchio) , and as metaphor, (Scar in The Lion King)
• Class: 101 Dalmatians, The Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks
• Re-imaginings and “Fractures”: Peter Pan v. Return to Neverland, Cinderella v. Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Happily Nev’r After. Mixed-genre features: Enchanted, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and sexuality or gender, for instance.

Papers: 3,500-6,000 words.

Abstracts and 1 page CV: May 15, 2009

Completed papers: October 10, 2009

Abstracts, CVs, and questions to:

Dr. Johnson Cheu
cheu@msu.edu

Michigan State University
Dept. of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures
235 Bessey Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824