Apologies for cross-posting
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Investigating Torchwood: Text, Context, Audiences
One day conference at the ATRiuM, CCI, University of Glamorgan, Cardiff
Friday June 18th, 2010
Proposals are sought for a forthcoming symposium to be held at the University
of Glamorgan on the BBC Wales programme Torchwood (2006- ).Whilst
academic work has examined Torchwood’s parent show Doctor Who in both its
classic (pre-2005) and contemporary forms, less attention has focused on
Torchwood. This one-day event seeks to redress this balance, considering the
show from a media and cultural studies perspective.
We are interested in papers which undertake close textual analysis of the
show, as well as those which consider issues of representation and portrayal,
and the show’s reception. We would also particularly welcome proposals which
consider Torchwood within the context of debates over Welsh television and
media, and in papers which focus on issues of genre, the international appeal
of Torchwood, or its appeal across generations/sexualities. Whilst proposals
which allude to Doctor Who and/or The Sarah Jane Adventures are welcome,
the main focus of the proposed papers should be Torchwood.
The event features a keynote address by Dr. Matt Hills, Reader in the School
of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University. Dr. Hills is the
author of numerous articles on cult TV, as well as books such as Fan Cultures
(Routledge, 2002) and Triumph of a Time Lord: Regenerating Doctor Who in
the Twenty-first Century (I.B. Tauris, 2010). We also seek to extend
invitations to industry and production personnel associated with Torchwood
and hope to offer comments from this perspective alongside academic papers.
Possible topics for proposals might include, but are not limited to:
• Representations of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity
• Representations of, and audience responses to, death in Torchwood
• Fan/audience responses to Torchwood
• Celebrity and stardom
• Notions of authorship
• Genre (e.g. sci-fi, investigative drama, horror)
• Portrayals of time travel & space
• Discussions of production and industry
• Representations of Cardiff and Wales
• Torchwood’s transnational and international appeal
• Issues of quality television and cultural value
• Multiplatforming of Torchwood (e.g. radio adaptations)
• Torchwood: Children of Earth as innovative ‘event’ television
Submission guidelines: Please send abstracts of no more than 400 words and a
brief biographical note to Dr. Rebecca Williams (to whom enquiries should also
be directed) at [log in to unmask] The deadline for proposals is 1 April 2010.
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