Attention all Swifties! There will be no doubt in any Taylor Swift fans’ mind that she has emerged as a cultural icon of extraordinary influence.
And now, to prove this, Australia is hosting the first international academic symposium early next year, on the impact of Taylor Swift.
The so-called “Swiftposium” will investigate the mega-star’s influence on everything — from the music industry to culture and the economy.
It takes place in February 2024 – the same week the American artist embarks on her Eras tour in Australia.
The Swiftposium is a collaborative effort by seven Universities across Australia and New Zealand, and will take place at the University of Melbourne and online.
According to the organisers, Swiftposium is a “hybrid academic conference for scholars to engage in critical dialogue about Swift’s popularity and its profound implications for a range of issues including gender, fandom, popular culture, literature, the economy, the music industry, and more.”
The organisers have now invited academic researchers from the Asia-Pacific region to submit proposals for Swiftposium, particularly postgraduate (HDR) researchers and early career researchers.
Organisers say themes may include, but are not limited to the following:
● ‘You know I adore you, I’m crazier for you’: The phenomenon of fandom, including its histories, psychological underpinnings,and social implications.
● ‘This city screams your name’: The impacts of international touring and large events, particularly Taylor Swift, on urban landscapes and the cultural identity of cities.
● ‘Shade never made anybody less gay’: Taylor Swift’s relationship to social movements such as feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, including her influence on political discourse and advocacy.
● ‘Who knows, if I never showed up, what could have been’: The economic reverberations of Taylor Swift’s cultural prominence, uncovering the intersections between art, entrepreneurship, and industry.
● ‘If I was a man, then I’d be The Man’: Taylor Swift, and gender and sexuality.
● ‘When my depression works the graveyard shift’: Mental health discourse and Taylor Swift.
● ‘You’re really gonna be someone’: Reflecting on Taylor Swift’s impact on contemporary discourses about gender, identity, race, and intersectionality.
● ‘And when you can’t sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies): Taylor Swift, streaming platforms, and intellectual property (Taylor’s version).
● ‘I can read you like a magazine’: Literary interpretations of Taylor Swift.
● ‘I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere’: Taylor Swift as pop culture catalyst, prophet and mirror.
● ‘’Cause baby, now we’ve got bad blood’: Taylor Swift’s marketing strategy and communications.
● ‘One single symbolic dollar’: Taylor Swift, #metoo, and the law.
For more information visit swiftposium2024.com
