Media globalization has transformed the study of Gender Identities and Gender Politics over the past few decades.  Such globalization has given rise not only to new research but also to new media forms that explore such Gender Identities.  As a result, many gender identities are now more widely visible than they were a decade ago—through both representation in texts and actual, real-life encounters.

Indeed, even fictional narratives—such as Slash Fan-Fiction—have increased such visibility and representation.  At the same time, mainstream cultures often regard such representations (and research) as provocative and/or scandalous.

This SAMLA session accordingly welcomes papers on any aspect of gender diversity and identity (including, for example, perspectives from queer studies, non-binary characterization, transgender genres, and so on).  In this context, we also invite discussion of various media forms—including literature, cinema, television, news, and websites—that tend to explore such identities today. Similarly, we also welcome papers discussing various forms of gendered relationships (including, for instance, gender-queer, top/bottom roles, polyamory depictions, genderbending romance/porno, Alpha/Beta/Omega kink tropes, harem tropes – and inter-ethnic romance).  Finally, in the context of genre, we might also ask how such relationships, archetypes, and media forms reinterpret classical genres of fiction, poetry, or drama.  All approaches are welcome, including (but not limit to) literary theory, linguistic studies, discourse analysis, cross-cultural studies, and visual analysis. Please send a 300-500 word abstract together with a bio to zc164@georgetown.edu by Friday, July 10.