Call for Papers

Apocalypse, Dystopia, and Disaster

Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA)

38th Annual Conference, February 15-18, 2017

Hyatt Regency Hotel & Conference Center

Albuquerque, New Mexico

http://www.southwestpca.org

Proposal submission deadline: November 1, 2016

Proposals for papers and panels are now being accepted for the 38th annual SWPACA conference.  One of the nation’s largest interdisciplinary academic conferences, SWPACA offers nearly 70 subject areas, each typically featuring multiple panels.  For a full list of subject areas, area descriptions, and Area Chairs, please visit http://southwestpca.org/conference/call-for-papers/ 

The Apocalypse, Dystopia, and Disaster in Culture Area is calling for papers about anything apocalyptic, dystopic, or disaster-related.  This can be in movies, television, literature, graphic novels, or any other cultural examples of disaster, dystopia, or the end of the world.

This year did not disappoint in these topics, including X-Men: Apocalypse, Independence Day: Resurgence, The Martian,The Man in the High Castle, and many, many more. This area is interested in all types of theories, both real world and fictional.

Please note that this area is specifically for those papers related to the apocalypse, dystopia, and/or disaster.  For example, there is now a separate Zombie Culture area at the conference, so if the proposal is about the “zombie apocalypse” it goes here, but if it is just about zombies, then it goes to that area. See the Zombie Culture CFP at http://southwestpca.org/conference/call-for-papers/

Ideas for topics on Apocalypse, Dystopia, and Disaster (not a comprehensive list): 

• Film and TV: Independence Day: Resurgence, The Martian, X-Men: Apocalypse, The 5th Wave, Containment, Zoo, Hunters, Twelve Monkeys, The Scorch Trials, Jurassic World, Mad Max: Fury Road, Killjoys, Dark Matter, Between, Chappie, San Andreas, Sharknado, The Last Ship, Interstellar, Edge of Tomorrow, The Giver, Godzilla, Resurrection, The Strain, Snowpiercer, The 100, Mad Max, Starcrossed, Under the Dome, Divergent, Defiance, Elysium, Oblivion, The Host, World War Z, Sharknado, This is the End, After Earth, Adventure Time, Melancholia, Falling Skies, The Walking Dead, Resident Evil, Terminator, 2012, The Core, Daybreakers, Zombieland, Night of the Comet, Armageddon, The War of the Worlds, Last Night, 12 Monkeys, The Road, Dark Angel, Jericho, Children of Men, The Matrix, Crimson Tide, Invasion, V, Contagion, Dante’s Peak, The Island, The Day the Earth Stood Still.

• Literature: Life as We Knew It, When She Woke, Ready Player One, Find Me, The 5th Wave , Feed,  Uglies, J, Station Eleven, Brave New World, The Bees, Rot and Ruin, Matched, Infinite Jest, Oryx and Crake, Breathe, World War Z, Pesthouse, The Road, Children of Men, Alas Babylon, The Stand

• Graphic novels and video games: Y: The Last Man, Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, The Walking Dead

• Real examples: “Prepper” communities and publications, natural disasters, Paris and Orlando shootings, Atomic culture.

Or any other works/topics related to apocalypse, dystopia, or disaster!

All proposals must be submitted through the conference’s database at http://conference2017.southwestpca.org/ 

For details on using the submission database and on the application process in general, please see the Proposal Submission FAQs and Tips page at

http://southwestpca.org/conference/faqs-and-tips/proposal-submission-faqs-and-tips/ 

Individual proposals for 15 minute papers must include an abstract of approximately 200-500 words.  Including a brief bio in the body of the proposal form is encouraged, but not required.  

For information on how to submit a proposal for a roundtable or a multi-paper panel, please view the above FAQs and Tips page.  

The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2016.   

SWPACA offers monetary awards for the best graduate student papers in a variety of categories. Submissions of accepted, full papers are due December 1.  For more information, visit http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/

Registration and travel information for the conference is available at http://southwestpca.org/conference/registration/

In addition, please check out the organization’s peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, at http://journaldialogue.org

If you have any questions about the Apocalypse, Dystopia, and Disaster area, please contact its Area Chair, Shane Trayers, Middle Georgia State University at shane.trayers@mga.edu.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.