Call for Proposals

Stanford University TDR Consortium Issue

"Critical Worldbuilding" edited by Matthew Smith

Proposal Submission Deadline: 15 September 2024

Submission Email: mwsmith1@stanford.edu

TDR and Stanford University invite scholars and practitioners to submit proposals for a TDR Consortium Issue dedicated to "Critical Worldbuilding." This issue will explore the multifaceted ways in which worldbuilding operates within performance and performance studies, particularly as a method for critical engagement, resistance, and re-imagination of societal structures.

We define “worldbuilding” as the process of creating a richly detailed imaginary world, often complete with its own geography, history, cultures, and languages. In recent decades, worldbuilding has become an increasingly central aspect of global mass culture, with entertainment conglomerates such as Disney, Nintendo, and Warner Brothers controlling vast multiverses of imagined worlds. Alongside this development, recent decades have also seen the rise of alternative and critical approaches to worldbuilding, most prominently in speculative fiction and film (e.g., Margaret Atwood, Ursula Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Blade Runner, District 9, Black Panther), but also in live performance. The latter include operas such as Valis and Parable of the Sower; Afrofuturist performances such as Janelle Monáe’s The ArchAndroid; quasi-utopian festivals such as Burning Man; critical theme parks such as Banksy’s Dismaland; alternative video games and VR experiences; critical forms of immersive theatre; types of cosplay, role-play, and improv; the use of speculative-world elements, such as the masks of V Is for Vendetta or the robes of The Handmaid’s Tale, in social protest; and the use of collaborative worldbuilding exercises to imagine better worlds and develop strategies for addressing social crises.

We are particularly interested in contributions that address the following questions:

- How does worldbuilding in performance challenge or reinforce cultural, social, and political norms?

- In what ways can worldbuilding serve as a form of utopian imagination?

- How do performances create immersive, believable worlds that engage audiences in critical thinking and reflection?

- What methodologies and practices are employed in the process of worldbuilding in performance?

- How do issues of race, gender, sexuality, disability, and class inform worldbuilding practices in performance?

- How can worldbuilding in performance provide spaces for marginalized voices and narratives?

- What are the ethical considerations of worldbuilding?

Proposals should be 300-500 words and include the following:

- Title of the proposed submission

- An abstract outlining the object(s) of study, main arguments, methods, and contributions of the work

- A brief bio of the author(s), including affiliations and relevant publications or performances

Proposal Submission Deadline: 15 September 2024

Notification of Decision on Submission: 15 October 2024

Full Article Submission Deadline: 1 June 2025

Please submit your proposals via email to Matthew Smith at mwsmith1@stanford.edu with the subject line "TDR Special Issue Proposal: Critical Worldbuilding." Submissions should be in Word.

We look forward to your contributions.