Special Call for Conference Papers/Book Chapters
Call for Conference Papers/Book Chapters
Unexplained! Negotiating the Supernatural in the 19th Century Press
The Symposium Steering Committee invites papers exploring how newspapers spread news about the unexplained. The press created a forum for ideas concerning reality, and, therein, a stage for imagining the outcomes of relying on either science or the supernatural solely for answers. No doubt both served a purpose in building a society where a sense of belonging empowered citizens to develop their potential. Editors published supernatural news items, comments, poems, fictional narratives, illustrations, ads, reviews, and other things often without judging the material. They empowered readers to think freely about forbidden or perverse subjects.
Papers and panel presentations will be considered, with author permission, for inclusion in Unexplained! Negotiating the Supernatural in the 19th Century Press.
Topics include but are not limited to Spiritualism (a popular religious movement suggesting that the dead could communicate with the living), stories about the occult, sightings of fairies and other preternatural beings, and paranormal themes as they appeared in the 19th century press. Because the “supernatural” refers to things visible outside of the physical world or occurring beyond the laws of nature, papers may highlight its many facets (witchcraft, tarot card reading, omens and premonitions, dreams, nightmares, or bizarre weather phenomenon, like crickets pouring from the sky). Writers may pursue earthly manifestations (vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, gods, goddesses, and monsters of all sorts as well as gothic elements that reveal “the macabre, mysterious, or violent.”
We welcome papers dealing with press coverage of celebrities or journalists involved in uncanny pursuits and also seek papers that reflect paranormal beliefs from around the world. Authors may analyze newspapers, magazines, ads, and cartoons, using any methodology or theoretical approach to study supernatural topics in the 19th century press. Research may also analyze aspects of popular culture (e.g., songs and plays, stereopticon slides, magic lantern shows, or dime novels) covered in the press.
For more information please contact:
PAULETTE KILMER
University of Toledo
pkilmer@rockets.utoledo.edu
DEBBIE VAN TYULL
Augusta University
DVANTYULL@augusta.edu
BRIAN GABRIAL
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
gabrialb@nsula.edu