A good friend of mine (and new blogger), Dr. Andy Miah, is putting on a conference later this year con the topic of the role played by celebrity and stardom in contemporary societies and they are looking for presenters, papers and panelists.
Here’s some of the questions and topic areas they are planning to cover…
* What is the changing role of celebrity/stardom in the 21st Century and is it similar to/different from earlier periods?
* How important are celebrities to the contemporary global media industries?
* What new academic paradigms are needed to consider the commercial and symbolic significance of celebrities in an era of increasing inter-media connections?
* What can we learn from studying audiences’ relations with celebrities?
* How do celebrities articulate constructions of ethnic/national identity, gender, age, class and sexuality?
* How do celebrities/stars perform and how can we analyse their performances?
* To what extent is the political now mediated through celebrities and celebrity discourse?
* What is the historical importance of celebrity figures, and have they replaced traditional role models?
* How do celebrities function as brands, and how important is celebrity sponsorship of public causes?
* Has celebrity journalism changed contemporary news production?
* What is the contemporary star system in Hollywood?
* How do celebrities control their Intellectual property rights?
* What has been the effect of celebrity biography on publishing?
* How important are celebrities to a sense of national/cultural identity?
* Are there alternative forms of celebrity/fame?We would particularly welcome themed panels in addition to independent papers. Panel topics might include:
* film stars
* television personalities
* pop stars
* literary biography
* sports heroes
* celebrity journalists and interviewers
* celebrity in the academy / the public intellectual / ‘talking heads’
* star authors
* the political economy of celebrity
* celebrity and intellectual property
* celebrity performance
* digital/cyber-celebrities
* local and global celebrities
* fans and stardom
* celebrity worship
* privacy and intrusion
* ‘ordinary people’ as celebrities
* reality television and the ‘manufactured’ celebrity
* celebrity documentary
* political celebrity
* child stars
* the production of celebrity
* dead celebrities