CFPs: Zombies of the Future: The Undead in the 21st Century and Beyond
A riot gear walker in The Walking Dead TV series (2010–). Picture: Gene Page/AMCtv, TWD Productions LLC.
Zombies seemed to have shambled into something of a literal “dead end.” With something of an eternal return to similar tropes and similar readings on their way to inevitable apocalypse. But this collection wants to “breath” new life into old undead bodies and focus solely on texts from the past 10 years or those that have used the zombie in unusual and previously unconsidered ways. Consequently this collection will be focused on 4 specific areas:
The zombie beyond the zombie (post-zombie zombies)
Zombies and new media, e.g. Tik Tok, streaming, gaming etc.
Cross cultural zombies—Indigenous, Aboriginal, Indian, African, South Korea etc.
Futuristic zombies—zombie bodies in fantasy, sci-fi and visions of what’s to come.
This concerns popular culture in its widest interpretation books, films, games, comics, music, theatre, ballet, performance, art, fashion, etc.
Send 300 words abstracts or expressions of interest to Simon Bacon (baconetti@googlemail.com) by February 28th 2021, with final essays of 6-7,000 words required mid-2023. Bloomsbury Academic has expressed interest in the collection.