Richard Linklater’s Slacker (1991) is a cult classic with a crucial role in the history of American cinema. The movie is unusual in many ways. It does not have a traditional narrative, following roughly 100 characters around the UT Austin area in a way that seems completely random. There is no protagonist, no story, no thread to the individual events, yet somehow it is a completely coherent and engaging film that sparks as many reflections as the number of scenes it has.

We are looking for chapter proposals in the form of abstracts. Topics already included are work, capitalism, Buddhism, film as a dream, narrative, episodic views of life, and absurdity. Possible topics for new chapters include:

Importance of the movie Slacker for Gen X
Role of Slacker in Independent Film
Oblique Strategies in the movie
Possible worlds in the opening of Slacker
Narrativity and anti-narrativity in Slacker
The coffee shop as the Agora of Austin
Non-Conformity in Slacker
Slacker and embracing the absurd
Individualism vs. Communitarianism
Capitalism and Commodification
Conspiracy Theories
The Society of Spectacle
Idleness and Creativity

Other topics are also welcome; please send your proposal!

Submission Guidelines:
Abstracts: 300–500 words outlining the central argument, theoretical framework, and relevance to the volume.
Author Bio: 100 words. Include affiliation and other relevant information.
Deadline for Abstracts: May 1, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: Sept 1, 2026
Full Chapter Length: 3,500–7,000 words (final chapters)

This volume will comprise a mix of scholarly articles and chapters that are more personal/casual in tone. We are accepting submissions from an array of research fields, including philosophy, film studies, politics, cultural studies, sociology, psychology, etc. The volume should appeal to both academic and non-academic audiences.

Please send abstracts and inquiries to: sbizarro@uno.edu and melissa.remark@nicholls.edu

#callforpapers #filmstudies #philosophy #popculture #academicpapers