FYI.
Call for Proposals: Special issue of Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society on Fat Kinship
Guest editor: Cindy Baker, cnbaker@ualberta.ca
To be considered for inclusion in this special issue, please send a 200-250 word abstract and a current CV to Cindy Baker, cnbaker@ualberta.ca by August 31, 2020. Any questions about the topic can also be directed to Cindy Baker at this e-mail address.
This special issue of Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society explores fatness in relationships.
Though fat people occupy the same diversity of roles within their lives relative to their relationships as other humans do (child, parent, sibling, family member, partner, friend, etc), representations of fatness in popular culture are often one-dimensional, focusing on the lonely single fat figure or the fat mother/surrogate nurturing character. Real life fat relationships, however, are both broadly diverse and complicated by their fatness. Fat kinship is a fertile ground, and deserves an increased focus through an academic lens.
I invite papers on a variety of topics around a broad definition of fat kinship including intimate relationships, genetic bonds, friendship, nuclear family, extended family, chosen family, and more. Artistic research-creation welcome.
Topics that might be covered include:
- Fat intimacy
- Fat domesticity
- Fat family life
- Solo fat life
- Fat couples
- Fat polyamory
- Fat/non-fat relationships
- Representations of fat relationships in popular culture
- Conflation of fatness and nurturing
- The impact of self-isolation on fat people and fat bodies
- Private fat spaces; alternative definitions of “home”
- How fat people build/adapt family and community
Fat Studies is the first academic journal in the field of scholarship that critically examines theory, research, practices, and programs related to body weight and appearance. Content includes original research and overviews exploring the intersection of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability, and socioeconomic status. Articles critically examine representations of fat in health and medical sciences, the Health at Every Size model, the pharmaceutical industry, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, legal issues, literature, pedagogy, art, theater, popular culture, media studies, and activism.