London is one of the great cities of the world and has witnessed many events, both fictional and real. This conference aims to explore the multiple ways London has been depicted in popular culture, from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
This is the city of Shakespeare and Chaucer, Churchill and Vivienne Westwood, The Thames, the Met, the London Eye, the Tube, Trafalgar Square, Mayfair, the East End, Wimbledon Common, Wembley, Lords, Greenwich, the Tower of London, Oxford Circus, London Zoo, the Guy Fawkes plot, Scotland Yard, 221b Baker Street, Notting Hill, Portobello Road, Charles Dickens, Michael Caine, Paddington Bear, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the London Marathon, the British royals and the Great Fire of 1666 to name just a few.
We welcome papers from researchers across the academic spectrum and encourage papers from postgraduate researchers and early career researchers. Papers from this conference will have the opportunity to be published.
To whet your appetite, we have provided some topics below. We will also accept topics beyond this scope:
- “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”- The city as a microcosm of the world.
- “Mind the Gap.” – Travel and tourism in London.
- “When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London.” – How traditions define London.
- “As long as I gaze on, Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise” – The city as muse.
- “Oh, I love London Society! It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what society should be.” – Depictions of glamour and London society in popular culture
- “If the ravens leave the tower, the Kingdom will fall” – The royal city in popular culture.
- “The parks be the lungs of London.” – How London’s green spaces are imagined and reimagined.
- “London’s greatest strength is our diversity.” – How immigration is depicted in popular culture.
- “Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen, Doin' the werewolves of London.” – Paranormal happenings in London.
- “Have you seen the old girl, who walks the streets of London?” – Age and the city.
- “In a West End town, a dead-end world/ The East End boys and West End girls” Class and geography of London.
- “They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace; Christopher Robin went down with Alice.” – London as a military city in popular culture.
- “London Bridge is Falling Down, My fair lady!” – The art of London’s architecture.
- “Old Father Thames.” – The riverscape as narrative backdrop.
- “Mrs Brown says that in London everyone is different, and that means anyone can fit in.” – London’s alternative scenes.
- “London’s burning! London’s burning!” – The long cultural memory of 1666.
- “Advance to Mayfair!” – The London of boardgames.
- “Turn again, Whittington, Thou worthy citizen, Lord Mayor of London.” – Politics and politicians in popular culture.
- “Excuse me sir, can you tell me where I might find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?” – London reimagined.
- “Dance the Tyburn Jig” – Crime and London in popular culture.
- “You know, fish, chips, cup of tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary-f**king-Poppins. London!” – Stereotyping London.
- “Any time you’re Lambeth way, Any evening, any day, You’ll find us all, Doin’ the Lambeth Walk” – Historic London dance crazes.
- “Would I were in an alehouse in London” – Leisure in London.
- “Oranges and Lemons say the Bells of St Clements” – London as religious centre in popular culture.
Please email abstracts (200 words) to popcrn@une.edu.au by 30 September 2024. Please include your name, affiliation, email address, title of paper, orcid ID (where available), google scholar link (where available) and a short biography (100 words).
Registration is free.
