cfp.english.upenn.edu

1st Global Conference
Transmedia Narratives

Tuesday 13th November – Thursday 15th November 2012
Salzburg, Austria

Call for Presentations:

The definition of narrative and all its axiomatic facets have been under ever increasing academic scrutiny for decades. However, with rapid increase in technology and the seemingly exponential expansion of modes of communication, the concept of narrative would appear to have also dramatically changed, without a corresponding depth or connected discussion on its transformations. This interdisciplinary conference seeks to begin to begin to redress this situation through a multi-pronged focus on the nature of ‘transmedia narrative’, or the manner in which narrative is transmitted, transformed and translated though the various modes of communication forms currently available.

Presentations could deal with, but are not limited to focal areas and questions such as:

* The diversity of narrative forms and how these relate to the creation of cultural narratives
* How have the older forms of narrative migrated into new digital formats?
* Where, why and how the 21st century’s concept of narrative starts and where it ends in and amongst the current set of technological forms?
* Who writes the new forms of story and who reads them?
* Where does ‘self’, the ‘implied reader’ and the notion of ‘reader in the text’ fit with new narrative forms?
* What forms of ‘world making’ are created in the new cross currents of and media and text?
* How and where do narrative mediums and machinery converge to make narrative possible?
* How does the sense of ‘otherness’ become changed or blurred with the creation of the new narrative worlds?
* Are transmedia narratives the purview of the wealthy, the westernized, and the capital-ised?
* How does it purposely, or otherwise exclude and include certain groups and why?
* What is the future of the technologies and the types of narratives involved?
* How do the new narrative forms create a sense of reality, or unreality?
* Where does the story end and real life begin?
* How do current genres such as blogs, fan sites, fan writers, slash, graphic novels, film, smartphones, television and games intersect or relate to generate new narrative forms and formats?
* How do the various disciplines understand the concepts of Transmedia, Conergence, Particpatory, Affinity, ReMix and Hypersocibility?

(Keywords: Transmedia, Convergence, Particpatory, Affinity, ReMix, Hypersocibility, Techologies, Medium, Narrative, Story, Play, Interaction, Emersive, Virtual)

THE WHAT?

The Steering Group particularly welcomes the submission of pre-formed panel proposals, works in progress, performances, literary and visual presentations and practitioner case studies. Papers will also be considered on any related theme. 300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 15th June 2012. All other significant dates please see Details page.

THE WHO?
Those that study, research or take part in transmedia narratives or convergence cultures, film and media studies, gaming and virtual worlds, literature and fandom, marketing and advertising, graphic novels and animation, artists, writers …SHOULD APPLY

THE HOW?
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats with the following information and in this order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract, f) up to 10 keywords
E-mails should be entitled: TM1 Abstract Submission.

Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). Please note that a Book of Abstracts is planned for the end of the year. All accepted abstracts will be included in this publication. We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.

Organising Chairs:
Phil Fitzsimmons: philfitz@uow.edu.au
Rob Fisher: tm1@inter-disciplinary.net
Simon Bacon: baconetti@googlemail.com

For further details of the project, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/immersive-worlds...

For further details of the conference, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/immersive-worlds...

Please note: Inter-Disciplinary.Net is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence.