Time for a team-up! The Science Fiction and Fantasy and Disability Studies (and Comics?) Areas invite attendees to a roundtable discussion of superheroes, mutation, and disability representation and depiction in comics, film, television, and more.
At this moment in popular culture, drawing attention to the omnipresence of superheroes in tv and film may seem unnecessary because it is so obvious. Yet the way we create, depict, and use superhero bodies and minds now more than ever deserves thoughtful assessment.
This roundtable will bring together scholars with expertise in superheroes, film, television, comics, science fiction, disability studies, and franchise to critically reflect on the representation of othered bodies — disabled, mutant, etc. — in superhero narratives.
After opening remarks and a brief, moderator-directed Q&A, the session will be opened for audience participation.
About the presentersLeigha McReynolds
Leigha McReynolds has a PhD in English Literature. Her dissertation was on science and the supernatural in 19th Century British Literature, but her current research focus is contemporary science fiction. She has published chapters in Disability in Science Fiction and Dune for the 21st Century, the first edited collections of scholarly work on their respective subjects. In her teaching, Leigha uses science fiction to engage students across disciplines: she is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor for University Honors at UMD. She also teaches literature classes for adults at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C. and runs a writing coaching business to help aspiring writers of all kinds achieve their personal and professional goals. She is the chair of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Area and VP of Publications for the MAPACA Board which entails being Managing Editor for the organization’s online journal: Response.
Meredith Guthrie
Meredith is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Communication Department at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her Ph.D. in American Culture Studies in 2005 at Bowling Green State University. Meredith currently co-chairs the area of and Disability Studies and serves on the Executive Board as the VP of Communication.