fan studies and fandom

CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS

 The Final Frontier: Race, Ecology & Colonialism in Space Opera

Edited by Mikail Boz & Cenk Tan

Editors’ Introduction

For the Annual Conference in Atlanta, April 8-11, 2026, PCA will be piloting poster sessions.  Poster sessions allow scholars to share their research and ideas in a less formal setting compared to traditional presentations while still being part of the program.  

If the proposal is accepted, presenters should create a poster presentation that visually summarizes their topic, highlighting such things as their main argument, their research methods, and overall conclusions.

Poster sessions will be scheduled in a four hour block (8 a.m. - 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.).  Presenters should be ready to set up and take down at those times and will need to schedule a 90 minute block in which to be with their posters.   

DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Call for Papers

Apocalypse, Dystopia, and Disaster

Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA) 

47th Annual Conference, February 25-28, 2026

Marriott Albuquerque

Albuquerque, New Mexico

https://www.southwestpca.org

NEW submission deadline: November 14, 2025 

CFP: The Imposter
The Velvet Light Trap, Issue 99 (to be published Spring 2027)
Imposter is a loaded term that has invaded and fascinated media including accusations of
illegitimacy, fraud, and fakery. The imposter unsettles understandings of our media’s
truth, authority, and belonging. More than ever, the imposter feels unavoidable in our
lives: generative AI challenges the very idea of creativity, algorithms create debates
around curation and manipulation, and the evolving labor landscapes make us question
who is recognized as a legitimate media worker. Beyond technology, this figure is
political, social, and juridical. The imposter makes us think about precarity; precarity for

This special panel to be held in the Area for Esotericism, Occultism, and Magic of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association seeks 15-20 minute conference presentations from all disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives examining any and all aspects of the emerging trend of “reality shifting” in relation to popular culture, particularly that of Generation Z.

Neurodivergence and Fandom

The Neurodivergent Studies area and the Fandom Studies area are excited to announce a joint panel on Neurodivergence in Fandom! Neurodivergence can have a big impact on the ways that people interact with popular culture, and this can be seen in the ways that neurodivergent folks approach fandom. This panel seeks to understand different approaches or experiences when it comes to neurodivergence in/and fandom!

Some possible topics include:

Call for Papers

Taylor Swift & Swiftie Studies

Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA)

47th Annual Conference, February 25-28, 2026

Marriott Albuquerque

Albuquerque, New Mexico

https://www.southwestpca.org

Proposal submission deadline: November 14, 2025.

Come join academics and working professionals at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, April 8-11 2026!

We are considering proposals for sessions organized around a theme, special panels, and/or individual papers.  Sessions are scheduled in 1½ hour slots, typically with four papers or speakers per standard session.  Presentations should not exceed 15 minutes. Working professionals, scholars, educators, and graduate students are all encouraged to submit.

Proposals within animation studies in relation to popular culture are welcomed. Possible themes for papers/panels include but are not restricted to:

Game Studies - PCA/ACA National Conference

Call For Papers

The Game Studies area of the National Popular Culture Association and the American Culture Association Conference invites proposals for papers and panels on games and game studies for the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference to be held on April 8-11, 2026 in Atlanta, GA. The deadline for proposals is November 30th.

I. Topics of Interest

When Undead Worlds Collide

Special Joint Section: SFF & Vampires at PCA 2026

We are excited to announce a Special Joint Section at the 2026 Popular Culture Association Conference, bringing together the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area (SFF) and the Vampire Studies Area for an unprecedented collaborative conversation.

This joint section invites papers, panels, and roundtables that explore the intersections of speculative futures and the undead—from science fiction’s cosmic vampires to gothic tales reimagined through futurism and technology. Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

The Biographies Area of the Popular Culture Association (PCA)  is soliciting papers for the 2026 conference that examine the connections between biography and popular culture. Papers and full panel presentations regarding any aspect of popular culture and biography are encouraged. Potential topics might include:

• Biography and entertainment, art, music, theater

• Biography and film

• Biography and criminal justice

• Television programs about biography

• Biography and urban legends

• Biography and folklore

FAN STUDIES

The Fan Studies Area, formerly Fan Culture & Theory, of the PCA welcomes papers, presentations, panels, and roundtable discussions that cover all aspects of fandom for inclusion at the PCA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on April 8-11, 2026. The conference proposal system will be opening to submissions on Sept. 1, 2025. Please see the pcaaca.org website for more information on submitting your proposals.

THE BILLY JOEL SYMPOSIUM

A Two-Day Academic Conference Presented by the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame

Stony Brook, NY | June 6–7, 2026

OVERVIEW

Call for Abstracts (Themed Issue 2/26 and Accompanying Workshop)
“Fan Practices of Memory and Remembrance”
Deadline for Proposals: December 1st, 2025
Workshop Date: February 27th, 2026, in Marburg/Germany