Queer and Gender Representation in Graphic Novels, Comics and Gaming
International Conference
(Zoom sessions: 2 days/Virtual platform: 5 days)

Thematic Approach

In our new conference, we wish to explore the queer and gender representation in general of graphic novels, comics and gaming. In this vast and fascinating field we will dive into the wonderful world of heroes with extraordinary powers, everyday people saving the world, journeys to distant galaxies, gods, humans and animals as villains or protectors, dark and bright worlds, parallel futures and variant pasts. A perennial, multibillion dollar industry with millions of passionate fans around the world for long was focusing on male heroes with limited representation of other genders.

We wish to discover multiple aspects and answer questions such as: How and why the industry around the world treated gender? Which are the turning points and how the audience reacted? What are the political, social and economic factors that affected relevant transitions in gender and queer representation? How they may affect younger generations – long connected to e.g. online gaming?

We wish to explore various perspectives and find points of reference between these specific arts and other fields such as drawing, literature, photography, filmmaking, design, illustration, crowdsourcing creative work, communication design, digital arts and graphic design software.

GIRES promotes creative conversation and welcomes scholars, artists, professionals and enthusiasts from various fields including but not limited to fine arts, storytelling, graphic and fine arts, history, literature, philosophy, religion, sociology, anthropology, economics, cultural and political studies.

Proposed Topics

– Games-board and electronic: role in education and society
– Digital arts as a means of revolutionizing artistic expression
– Comics and Graphic Novels in shaping collective memory and identity
– Graphic Arts and propaganda
– Literary approach of comics and connections with gender fluidity
– Comics and graphic novels as a commercial entity: their role in shaping public opinion
– Limits and non-limits of fantasy in comics and graphic novels:Gender in the fantastic world
– Historical truth and cultural approaches
– Sexism and gender representations
– Gender discrimination
– Queer representation over the decades- (re)evolution in the aforementioned forms of arts

Proposed Formats (Lingua franca: English)

*Individually submitted papers (organized into panels by the GIRES committee)
* Panels (3-4 individual papers)
* Roundtable discussions (led by one of the presenters)
*Posters

Publication Opportunity
The Organizing Committee and GIRES Press will publish the most powerful and dynamic presentations of the conference and include them
in a collective volume in the form of short articles and/or long essays. For more information please contact us.

Live Sessions Recording
All participants have the option to have their presentations recorded (during live sessions) in HD quality. The recordings will be uploaded to GIRES media for unlimited access and dissemination.

Asynchronous Options
All participants have the option to have their presentations (video/audio/text) uploaded to our Virtual Platform. All registered participants will have access to the material for 5 days.

Our proposed topics & formats are not restrictive and we invite additional germane ideas
Due to the restrictions of Corona Crisis our event (for the time being) will take place VIRTUALLY

Date of Conference
GIRES Headquarters (GMT +2)
27-28 November 2021

Deadline for proposals
15 November 2021

Acceptance notification
17 November 2021

Publication
Collective Volume
(GIRES PRESS)

Accreditation
Official Certificate issued by GIRES