[Air-L] cfp: a tumblr book

[Alexander Cho]

call for contributions: a tumblr book


co-editors:

Allison McCracken, American Studies, DePaul University

Louisa Stein, Department of Film and Media Culture, Middlebury College

Alexander Cho, University of California Humanities Research Institute

http://a-tmblr-book.tumblr.com

http://a-tmblr-book.tumblr.com/post/148647882930/a-tmblr-book-call-for-contributions-a-tumblr


contact e-mail: atumblrbook at gmail.com


We’re putting together a book to identify ways in which Tumblr has had an
important social and industrial impact, both as a digital platform and a
cultural forum.­ This volume will be multi-vocal and accessible to a broad
audience, representing a variety of Tumblr users and commentators,
including scholars, public intellectuals, activists, and fans. We are
particularly compelled by Tumblr’s status as a social media platform known
for fostering spaces for socially marginalized users, including youth,
people of color, queer people, the disabled, and the poor.

This publication will be in English, but we are committed to exploring
non-Western perspectives and others beyond the US/UK. We are soliciting
contributions that focus on various aspects of the platform, including any
combination of:


Tumblr’s affordances and limitations as an interface/platform and as a
cultural space

Aesthetic and linguistic traditions on Tumblr, including hashtags, gifs,
images, and notes

History and development, including the Yahoo acquisition

Industry presence, marketing practices and goals

Creative production and/or critical analysis

Intersections of race, gender, sexuality, class, age, and ability

Community development and support

Politics and activism (including the “social justice warrior” discourse)

Identity formation and affirmation

Education and mentoring networks

Transnational/transcultural studies

Tumblr within the transmedia landscape

Fan cultures and activities

The centrality of sexually explicit content (“nsfw”), pornography, and
pleasure

Teaching, therapy and other professional uses (such as “social media
director”)

Ethical concerns


Contribution Guidelines:

We welcome proposals that address any of the aforementioned topics of
analysis, and we are looking for work in a range of formats, including
traditional academic essays, shorter think pieces, personal testimonies,
interviews, video essays, art, GIF essays, and group discussions. This book
will combine hard copy and digital components in order to incorporate
multimedia contributions. For example, we are interested in community
histories and activities (written by individuals or groups), critical
discourses and discussion (including specific examples of such), and
creative production we can reference in the book and publish digitally
(such as fan art). We will use both illustrations and written excerpts with
artist and author  permission.  It is very important to us to feature a
variety of voices; please feel free to contact us for help in developing a
proposal, especially if you are not familiar with the publication process
but have an idea of something you’d like to contribute.

Written work should generally fall between 2,000 and 7,000 words. Inclusion
in the book will be based on abstracts of between 300-500 words and, for
full consideration, they should be received by September 30, 2016.
Contributors can use their tumblr or public names or remain anonymous.
Please send this abstract and any questions or concerns you have to
atumblrbook at gmail.com. Visit http://a-tmblr-book.tumblr.com for more
information.
-- 

Alexander Cho, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Connected Learning Research Network <http://clrn.dmlhub.net/>
UC Humanities Research Institute <http://uchri.org/>
http://alexandercho.net/