Standing Session

Historical and Political Studies / Film and Media Studies

Suzy Woltmann (University of California - San Diego)
kwol@****.com (Log-in to reveal)

The sociocultural and literary ramifications of all things Disney have long provided rich terrain for critical scholarly analysis. This panel explores the discursive, literary, filmic, and historical dimensions of the Disney phenomenon in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Papers may draw upon the rich canon of scholarship on Disney and engage with its cultural effects through critical theory, historical analysis, feminist/queer readings, or close reading strategies. This session may also engage with the conference theme of "City of God, City of Destruction." Topics might include urbanity and degradation in Disney filmic cities from Mouseton to Zootopia; the representation of gods and god-adjacents from Olympians to Titans; and what some see as the cultural destruction inherent in Disney capitalism.

The sociocultural and literary ramifications of all things Disney have long provided rich terrain for critical scholarly analysis. This panel explores the discursive, literary, filmic, and historical dimensions of the Disney phenomenon in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Papers that draw upon the rich canon of scholarship on Disney and engage with its cultural effects through critical theory, historical analysis, feminist/queer readings, or close reading strategies are particularly encouraged. This session also gives particular consideration to papers that engage with the conference theme of "City of God, City of Destruction." Topics might include urbanity and degradation in Disney filmic cities from Mouseton to Zootopia; the representation of gods and god-adjacents from Olympians to Titans; and what some see as the cultural destruction inherent in Disney capitalism.