cfp

Twenty-First Century TV Witches from Charmed to Sabrina

Although dramatic programs on witches have been on television since the sixties, 2018 saw an unprecedented preoccupation with them. In addition to ongoing supernatural series, there are at least seven new witch-themed shows that started this year: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Charmed, Legacies, A Discovery of Witches, Light as a Feather, Disenchantment, and Britannia.

Dramatic series with the theme of witches involve the complex intersections among gender, sexuality, religion, power, and other matters pertinent to contemporary times. This collection of essays explores and examines the increasing fascination with witches in the twenty-first century by looking at post-2010 television shows featuring witches.

Proposals should not be on Sabrina since the editor has already received enough submissions about the show; all other post-2000 TV shows are welcome. Possible topics may include

Impact and Influences:
-Comparison of source material (novels, graphic novels, films) and TV; comparison of originals and reboots
-Genres: sitcoms, horror, teen, satire
-The influence of Hermione Granger and the Harry Potter series on TV witches
-Witches as metaphors or wish fulfilment
-The influence of the #metoo movement on the depiction of witches
-Online streaming witches versus cable and network TV witches
-How digital photography and special effects change narratives

Culture
-Anime witches
-Transatlantic witches

Gender and Sexuality
-Performances of femininity and masculinity
-Fear of feminine power and transformative feminine power
-Queer families. Why are many witches orphaned?

Identity and Coming of Age
-Many shows choose to set the narratives in schools. Why?

Class, Race, Economy, Religion
-Religion in the series
-Race, especially the casting of Charmed 
-Why are many witches affluent?
-The supporting (non-witch) characters’ socioeconomic status.

Violence and Death
-The interaction of vampires and werewolves (immortal beings) with witches (who are usually humans). The enmity between the three factions, and the enmity within the faction.
-Witches’ proximity to deaths
-Death spells and witches’ rituals
-Distinction between life and death
-Murder and killings

Please submit abstracts of 250–300 words and a brief bio to Aaron Ho (ho.aaron@gmail.com). Acceptance is based on rolling submission. Individual essays should be 5,000–7,000 words (excluding notes and references). Once your abstract is accepted, first drafts must be submitted by 1 May, and the revised draft is due by 1 July. Essays should be original and used only for this collection. They should offer rigorous analyses and unique perspectives on witch-themed programs and should not rely heavily on plot descriptions or give away vital plot points.

For more information, please visit https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2019/01/16/extended-twenty-first-century-tv-witches-from-charmed-to-sabrina.