Call for Papers: Tintin and the City of the Golden Owls

Theme: A two-day, cross-cultural and cross-media conference that discusses the work of Hergé and Tintin.

EXTENDED DEADLINE for proposals: April 30, 2018

We are pleased to invite you to submit abstracts, panel proposals and posters for the Tintin and the City of the Golden Owls Conference, to be held on 13th and 14th June 2018 at Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.

Overview:

Hergé is the father of the modern comic. He single-handedly created an art form, now known as bande dessinee, and his most notable creation – Tintin – is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions to 20th Century popular culture. 

Tintin, a ginger-quiffed boy reporter, his dog Snowy, and his best friend Captain Haddock fight foes across the globe. The adventures have sold over 200 million copies and been translated into 70 languages. These tremendous escapades for kids of all ages have been made into cartoons, radio plays, and films.

But at their heart, they are more than simple adventure stories. They are about friendship, trust, right versus wrong, and reflect the cultural mores of their era. Whether Tintin is toppling South American despotic regimes, battling against slavery, or visiting the moon in the name of world science, they remain fun. But, they also reveal room for intertextual study. Tintin was written over a period of 50 years, and whilst the first books may have been simple stories that reflected Belgium’s colonialist views, later ones tackle such burgeoning themes as the Cold War, hard science, and the plight of the individual in society.

This conference will create an internationally-flavoured showcase for the importance of both Hergé and Tintin to the world of popular culture.

Themes:

We welcome scholarly papers, panels, and posters across the full range of interests and outlooks. These can include, but are not limited to:

  • The materiality of Tintin
  • Nostalgia
  • Fandom
  • Sexuality
  • Gender identity
  • Science in Tintin
  • The politics of Hergé and Tintin
  • The Tintin Shop
  • Tintin outside the comic
  • Branding Tintin
  • Historical perspectives
  • Envisaging characters in different media
  • Biographies, autobiographies, histories
  • Architecture
  • The Hergé Museum
  • Hergé’s other characters

To submit your abstract, please send to: S.D.Gerrard@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Authors are invited to submit their abstract of no more than 250 words, plus a mini-bio of approx. 100 words. Please supply your academic affiliation (if applicable) and relevant contact details.

Important Dates:

Deadline for submission: 1st April 2018

Notification of acceptance: 10th April 2018

Organising Team:

  • Dr Steven Gerrard
  • Ms Natasha Parcei
  • Mr David Turner
  • Professor Robert Shail
  • Professor Simon Morris

For any enquiries regarding the programme, please contact: S.D.Gerrard@leedsbeckett.ac.uk