Historians on Housewives - Call For Participants: Podcast, Edited Volume, Op-Eds
The Historians on Housewives is looking for podcast participants, authors of academic chapters, and writers of Op-Eds. The Historians on Housewives project brings together scholars from diverse backgrounds to explore historical questions arising from the themes, events, episodes, story arcs shaping Bravo Network, Housewives franchises. We are seeking scholars interested in contributing to podcast episodes, conference panels, and edited volumes beginning in Fall 2019. We are interested in hearing from scholars of any rank and across discipline who have been waiting for a “space” in the academy where their observations on reality tv are welcomed and encouraged.
Themes to be explored include but are not limited to the following:
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Feminism (feminist thought, concepts, and histories)
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Motherhood (IVF/older mothers, childbirth, performance of motherhood, race/class/gendering motherhood)
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Masculinity/men (portrayal of husbands on the show, race/class/gendered performances)
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Parties and event planning (public display of violence, alcohol and food, kinship formations)
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Politics (Real Housewives and their connections to Trump (or former presidents), feminism and antifeminism)
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Legacy of slavery and Jim Crow (black face, cultural appropriation, exploitation of workers, racialized spaces)
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Violence/violences that are staged (verbal/emotional fights, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse)
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Religion (Christianity, Evangelicalism, Islam, Wicca)
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Immigrant communities (portrayal of immigrants/non-American cultures, Build-the-Wall rhetoric)
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Ageism/intergenerational conflicts (Botox/plastic surgery, internalized misogyny, mother-daughter conflicts)
If you are interested in participating in a podcast, please submit a 150 word abstract detailing how your academic interests align with topics related to the Real Housewives or other Bravo franchises. Include how your work intersects with the project’s goals, how you first came to The Housewives, and what platform(s) you would be interested in presenting your research on (the podcast, an edited volume, conference, or article). Please include a 150-300 word bio indicating your rank and area of specialization. Include your own one sentence Real Housewives catch-phrase.