On behalf of the Department of British Culture at the Institute of English Studies, we would like to invite you for another exciting talk in the New Media in Contemporary Culture series, summer edition 2021/2022.

On April 14, our guest will be Dan Hassler-Forest (Utrecht University). Dr. Hassler-Forest works as Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at Utrecht University. He has published books and articles on superhero movies, comics, transmedia storytelling, critical theory, and zombies. He has recently completed two books on race and global media, focused on the creative work of performing artist Janelle Monáe. The title of his talk is “Researching the Imagination Gap: Toxic Online Fandom and the Dark Fantastic”

Abstract: While “wokeness” and “cancel culture” have become dominant frameworks for discussing contemporary media production and online fan discourse, the structural role that race plays in fantastic franchises and their various fan cultures remains under-discussed and under-researched. In this talk, dr. Dan Hassler-Forest (Utrecht University) will build on the work done by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, whose book The Dark Fantastic maps out the “imagination gap” that continues to maintain whiteness as the default setting in fantasy storyworlds. By looking in detail at the recent online reception of the first promotional images for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, this talk will reflect on the many complexities surrounding racialization in fantastic franchises. Feel free to disseminate widely!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81100510699?pwd=ZjZkekg2ek9pZjdTTW9CNTRoOGdGUT09
Meeting ID: 811 0051 0699
Passcode: 604435