For our next issue, The New Americanist is seeking submissions which consider the cultural and political conditions through which comics play a part in contemporary American life. From offering social commentary on issues like race, gender, sexuality, and disability, to being adapted into commercially massive film and television franchises that have come to dominate box offices and streaming platforms, to offering readers multiple ways of belonging through live action role playing, cosplay, and the convention circuit as a whole, comics – broadly considered to include graphic novels, cartoons, and digital comics – are a vital feature of popular American culture.
We are looking for submissions which approach comics studies from innovative cultural or political studies approaches, and we will show strong preference for topics which consider disability, LGBTQ+, or race/ethnicity studies frameworks. Potential topics might include, but are not limited to:
- Comics in/and contemporary American political life
- Comics and racial representation
- Comics and gendered representation
- Disability in comics (particularly superhero comics)
- Comics and sexuality
- BIPOC comics creators and the cultural and political significance of their work
- Comics and young adult audiences
- Multimedia comics franchises
- Fan cultures and participatory fandoms in the contemporary US
- Translated comics in American markets
Please submit a 300-word proposal with a short bio to newamericanistjournal@gmail.com no later than 14 February 2022. If accepted, papers of 6-8000 words including footnotes should be submitted by 16 May 2022 for peer review.
