Special

American Studies / Film Studies

Valerie Surrett (University of North Georgia)
vale@****.com (Log-in to reveal)

Speculative fiction and its many subgenres—science fiction, fantasy, utopian/dystopian, horror, alternate history, etc.—are playgrounds for both imagining new worlds and recasting the familiar as strange, giving us new ways to perceive our own world and our roles within it. This session explores imagined prisonscapes in US American literature, film, and television. In keeping with this year’s “seen and unseen” theme, the panel considers how imagined prison settings—and visions of worlds without prisons—lend visibility to the US’s prison-industrial complex and the cultures of punishment that fuel and sustain it.

Speculative fiction and its many subgenres—science fiction, fantasy, utopian/dystopian, horror, alternate history, etc.—are playgrounds for both imagining new worlds and recasting the familiar as strange, giving us new ways to perceive our own world and our roles within it. This session invites explorations of imagined prisonscapes in US American literature, film, and television. In keeping with this year’s “seen and unseen” theme, contributions highlighting ways imagined prison settings—or visions of worlds without prisons—lend visibility to the US’s prison-industrial complex and the cultures of punishment that fuel and sustain it are especially welcome.

Please submit a 250-300 word abstract, a brief bio, scheduling requests, and any A/V needs by August 15, 2024 to Valerie Surrett at valerie.surrett@ung.edu.