Friday 9th September – Sunday 11th September 2016
Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom

“With great power, comes great irresponsibility…” – Deadpool

In the twenty-first century, the Superhero now holds an unparalleled position within pop culture. Having vastly expanded beyond its birth medium of comic books to what is a fierce and pervasive presence in multiple media, this domination is no more apparent than the realms of mainstream cinema, where blockbuster superhero films routinely break box-office records and more than thirty further films are set to be released by 2020.

In 2016, DC Comics trinity of flagship characters – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman – finally appear on screen together for the first time in Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, while the steadfast heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will fracture in “Captain America: Civil War” and the group villainy of “Suicide Squad” will see anti-heroism placed front and centre. The surprise success of “Deadpool” has ignited a renewed appetite for “R-rated” superhero material and, on TV, the richly-noir “Jessica Jones” merges the superhero with urban sleuth, exploring such dark topics as Rape and PTSD, and “Marvel’s Daredevil” has provided a platform for the discussion of disability issues.

Meanwhile, real individuals are being elevated to the status of superhero – literally and metaphorically. The “Real Life Superhero” phenomenon – in which people dress in superhero costume to enact community service or vigilantism – continues apace, while the military maintains the development of technology that allows soldiers to considerably augment their physical strength. In the halls of comic conventions worldwide, fans demonstrate their devotion to specific iterations of superhero characters via detailed cosplay.

The 2nd Global Conference on Superheroes invites interdisciplinary discussion on superheroes and the notion of the super-heroic. Areas of discussion could include:

Indicative themes for discussion may include but are not limited to:

• The postmodern superhero
• Secret identities, transformation / becoming
• The queering of the superhero genre
• The intellectualisation of superhero narratives
• Revisionism
• Regulation, Moral Relativity and Authority
• Superheroes at home
• Superhero utopias and dystopias.
• Monstrosity
• Globalisation and Cultural Appropriation
• The superhero’s role in war and conflict
• The superhero in childhood play
• Cosplay
• Gadgetry and cyborg prosthetics

In addition to the presentation of conference papers, the Project Team welcomes the submission of shorts workshops and accounts of professional practice, as well as other contributions, including performances. It particularly welcomes the submission of pre-formed panel proposals.

Further details and information can be found at the conference website:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/the-superhero-project/call-for-presentations/

Details about our review policy can be found here:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/the-superhero-project/call-for-presentations/further-details/

Call for Cross-Over Presentations
The Superhero project will be meeting at the same time as a project on Fear, Horror and Terror. We welcome submissions which cross the divide between both project areas. If you would like to be considered for a cross project session, please mark your submission “Crossover Submission”.

What to Send:
300 word abstracts, proposals and other forms of contribution should be submitted by Friday 15th April 2016. All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.

You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 29th April 2016.
If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 5th August 2016.