CFP: Cinematic Representations of Women in Modern Celebrity Culture (1900-1950) (edited collection)
Call For Papers: Cinematic Representations of Women in Modern Celebrity Culture (1900-1950) (edited collection)
Editors: María Cristina C. Mabrey & Leticia Pérez Alonso
Deadline: February 7, 2020
We invite proposals for contributions to an edited collection on cinematic representations of women in works of art, poetry, fiction, theater and criticism of the avant-garde. The popularization of film stars such as Blanche Sweet, Mae Marsh, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo and Brigitte Helm shaped the cultural imaginary of modernity to such an extent that they influenced the creative activity of artists and writers in the years 1900-1950. Questions centering on feminine stardom will set the background of this collection of essays examining the intersections of vanguardism with popular culture, publicity and performance. How are images of femininity circulated and consumed by the spectators of the cinematic medium? What position do the so-called high and low art forms take with regards to the presence of women in cinema celebrity culture? To what extent do stereotypical conceptions of feminine beauty reflect male ways of seeing, interpreting and writing? We are interested in expanding the conversation to aesthetic, political, historical and cultural analyses from a perspective that integrates the written word and the animated image into constructions of femininity. Potential topics include but are not limited to:
- Filmic types and stereotypes of femininity
- Critical approaches to the male gaze
- Fetishism and idolatry of women in cinema culture
- Fashion, modernity and the commodification of feminine cinematography
- The muse versus the male artist
- Gender performativity, mass media and promotional value
- Women stars in Hollywood and the independent film industry
- Ekphrasis, iconology and iconography of feminine acting
- Intersections of verbal and cinematic images of power, gender identity and race
- Feminist theory and aesthetics of motion pictures
Abstracts of 300-500 words along with a 150-word bio should be emailed to María Cristina C. Mabrey (University of South Carolina) at rriopar@gmail.com and Leticia Pérez Alonso (Jackson State University) at leticia.p.alonso@jsums.edu no later than February 7th, 2020. We will notify authors of the acceptance by February 13th, 2020. Chapters (approximately 6,000-7,000 words, including notes and bibliography) will be due by August 7th, 2020.