Confessional Culture - Postgraduate Conference
5 – 6 July 2012
Building H, Caulfield Campus,
Monash University
Dolan Cummings, the editor of Culture Wars, describes confessional culture as "an increasing blurring between public and private, and a concern to expose and reveal our "true selves". Though the act of confession is nothing new, the rise of reality television and web 2.0 means our culture is increasingly publicising the private, and using the media to expose ourselves and others. This conference will look at the effect of confessional culture on a range of media and discourses, in order to understand and unpack the manifestations, history and impact of this growing and evolving phenomenon.
Topics include:
- The representation of confession in print and visual media – in magazines, social media, novels, short stories, fan fiction, film, television, and other media forms
- Gendered confessions
- Historical instances of privatizing the public
- The effect of confessional culture on politics and policy
- Confessional culture and celebrity, both traditional and “web 2.0” celebrity
- Performance (music, theatre) and/or fine art as act of confession
- Social media, technology and confessional culture
- Fandom as confessional culture
Keynote Speaker
Dr Claire Perkins, Film and Television Studies, Monash University.
Program
Download the draft program here (PDF).
Conference Function
A cocktail function will be held at Amigos Tequila and Tapas bar, 75 Hardware Lane (Lonsdale Street end), Melbourne CBD at 7pm on 5th July. The cocktail function is not included in the conference registration fee; numbers are limited for the function so early registration is advisable. $50 per head fee will include Mexican themed tapas, sangria on arrival and a range of cocktails available throughout the night.
Trains operate frequently from Caulfield Station (across the road from the conference venue) into the city; Hardware Lane is a short walk from Melbourne Central and Flinders Street train stations.
Registration
All participants must register to attend the conference. Registration includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea on both days, and also includes a conference pack. Pre-registration via e-cart is preferred as the event will be catered and there will be NO handling of cash on the days of the event.
Past and Present Conferences and Seminars
Visit our archives of conferences and seminars - recordings of many papers are available for download: