Call for Proposals for the Twentieth Anniversary Slayage Conference
10th Biennial Slayage Conference
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California
July 18-21, 2024
BUFFY LIVES!
Slayage: The International Journal of Buffy+ and the
Association for the Study of Buffy+ invite proposals for the twentieth anniversary Slayage Conference—the tenth biennial (SC10). Devoted to creative works and workers of the ‘fuzzy set’ surrounding Buffy the Vampire Slayer, SC10 will be held on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, on 18-21 July 2024. This twentieth anniversary conference will be organized by Local Arrangements Chair Lewis Call.
We welcome proposals of 200-300 words (or an abstract of a completed paper) on any aspect of Buffy+ television, film, comics, and web texts. The name Buffy recalls the significance of scholarly examinations of feminism, but Slayage is much more. The “plus” is meant to be a sign of inclusivity, both for scholars and texts.
The plus-mark is meant to invite analyses of not only Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, etcetera, but also the work of all the various creators—writers, directors, actors, editors, composers, etc.-involved with those texts as well as (primarily visual) media more or less resembling Buffy (where ‘resemblance’ is likewise subject to further discussion). In other words, the plus-mark indicates the “fuzzy set” of which Buffy is the center. Drawing on Brian Attebery's description in Strategies of Fantasy, the fuzzy set is “defined not by boundaries but by a center.” Hence, a scholar applying to Slayage Conference 10 might use Buffy as a yardstick to tell us why we should consider their chosen topic to be part of this fuzzy set, which might include the following,
“high stakes TV” with a kick-ass young female lead;
movie or book series concerned with the frequent irruption of the supernatural into the mundane;
texts that feature snarky humor and linguistic play; strong characterization, an emphasis on relationships, and long story arcs spanning a season or more; moral dilemmas; stylish but affordable boots; starship captains with tight pants; or other stylistic, aesthetic, or thematic issues associated with Buffy, Angel, Firefly, etc.
Moreover, the “plus” specifically alludes to LGBTQIA+, too, one of the important touchstones of the original series. The complexities of queerness are part of the intriguingly nuanced nature of many of these texts. The conference was established to provide a venue for writing about good work, but good works are not perfect, and scholarship should strive to see clearly. LGBTQIA+ texts and scholars have been an important part of this clear-sighted assessment, and SC10 would be strengthened by further contributions in light of contemporary scholarship
Importantly, the “plus” is meant to refer to the need to counteract a “minus”—that is, the scarcity of Latinx and Black, Indigenous, Person of Color representations in Buffy (the Original Sin of the Buffy text) as well as problematic representations in that and related texts. Since Kent Ono’s 2000 essay “To Be a Vampire on Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” scholars have been examining these matters. However, a great deal remains to be done—again, not just on Buffy but also on related texts.
Multidisciplinary approaches (literature, philosophy, political science, history, communications, film and television studies, women’s studies, religion, linguistics, music, cultural studies, art, and others) are all welcome. A proposal/abstract should demonstrate familiarity with already-published scholarship in the field, which includes dozens of books, hundreds of articles, and over twenty years of the peer-reviewed journal Slayage. Proposers may wish to consult the annotated Oxford University Press bibliography on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as the Slayage contents list and the bibliography housed at the ASB+ website.
An individual paper is strictly limited to a maximum reading time of 20 minutes, and we encourage, though do not require, self-organized panels of three presenters. Proposals for workshops, roundtables, or other types of sessions are also welcome. Submissions by graduate and undergraduate students are invited; undergraduates should provide the name, email, and phone number of a faculty member willing to consult with them (the faculty member does not need to attend). A limited number of hybrid slots will be provided. Proposals should be submitted online to
slayage.conference@gmail.com and will be reviewed by program chairs James Rocha, Jessica Hautsch, and Rhonda V. Wilcox. Submissions must be received by April 12, 2024. Decisions will be made no later than April 31; however, a rolling response to early submissions will be provided. Questions regarding proposals can be directed to the conference email address:
slayage.conference@gmail.com.
