CFP: Revisiting the Warrior Princess and her legacy: Xena 20 years on

CFP: On 18^th June 2021 it will be twenty years since the controversial final episode of ground-breaking television series Xena: Warrior Princess, ‘A Friend in Need Part II’ aired. Although the series was first conceived as a spin-off from a series featuring a male hero, Hercules The Legendary Journeys, Xena‘s popularity surpassed that of Hercules, and ran for six seasons from 1995-2001. Xena paved the way for subsequent action heroines, from Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who reached our television screens in 1997, to the re-envisioned Wonder Woman in the recent blockbuster films. The (initially subtextual) relationship between Xena and Gabrielle also influenced the depiction of LGBT relationships in popular culture. Xena garnered a large fan base and spawned an interest in the ancient world for a generation of young viewers.  

This virtual conference aims to bring together scholars from across a range of disciplines to mark the 20^th anniversary of the end of Xena: Warrior Princess and explore different aspects of the series and its impact. The organisers aim to publish selected papers following the conference.

Possible topics might include (but are not limited to):

Xena and the representation of ancient civilisations

Xena and historical events/characters

Xena and historical women warriors

Xena and mythology/religion

Xena and queer theory

Xena and feminism

Xena as action heroine

Xena and television studies

Xena and fan studies

Xena tie-ins (comics, novels, etc)

The legacy of Xena

Please submit abstracts of circa 300 words, together with details of academic background, to amandapotter@caramanda.co.uk and anise.strong@wmich.edu by 15^th March 2021.

Organisers: Amanda Potter (Open University) and Anise Strong (Western Michigan University)