Call for Papers

Tolkien in Popular Culture

Southwest Popular / American Culture Association (SWPACA)

2026 SWPACA Summer Salon

June 25-27, 2026

Virtual Conference

https://swpaca.org/

Submissions open on March 30, 2026

Proposal submission deadline: April 27, 2026

Proposals for papers are now being accepted for the SWPACA Summer Salon. SWPACA offers nearly 70 subject areas in a variety of categories encompassing the following: Film, Television, Music, & Visual Media; Historic & Contemporary Cultures; Identities & Cultures; Language & Literature; Science Fiction & Fantasy; and Pedagogy & Popular Culture. For a full list of subject areas, area descriptions, and Area Chairs, please visit https://swpaca.org/subject-areas/

The Tolkien in Popular Studies Area, while welcoming to traditional literary studies of the author's works, is more focused on other aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien's influence and the Middle-earth-verse more broadly considered.

--Tolkien in new media and transmedia adaptations: games, movies, Rings of Power and other television adaptations

--Fan-created materials: fanfiction and fan art studies, fan-produced websites, blogs and podcasts

--Tolkien's impact on contemporary popular culture: influences, memes, politics, etc.

--Tolkien's historical impact on popular culture in the '60s and beyond

We welcome papers on any aspect of these topics. We are especially interested in newer critical approaches addressing contemporary issues and interpretations concerning race, gender, sexuality, and politics.

All proposals must be submitted through the conference’s database at https://swpaca.org/app

For details on using the submission database and on the application process in general, please see the Summer Salon FAQs and Tips page at https://swpaca.org/faq-summer-salon/

Registration information for the conference will be available at https://swpaca.org/summer-salon/

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer any financial assistance for the Summer Salon.

Individual proposals for 15-minute papers must include an abstract of approximately 200-500 words. Only one proposal per person, please; unfortunately, we cannot accommodate roundtables for the Summer Salon.  

If you have any questions about the Tolkien in Popular Studies area, please contact its Area Chair, Janet Brennan Croft, University of Northern Iowa (Emerita), janet.croft@uni.edu. If you have general questions about the conference, please contact us at support@southwestpca.org, and a member of the executive team will get back to you.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!