Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama
Black Women Defense Squads in Online Fandom
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Stern Center, Great Room, 7 p.m.
Live Stream Link
A predominantly online phenomenon, defense squads are the domain of female fans who vigilantly watch for mentions of their loved character and who respond to criticisms as a collective force. Warner will examine Black women fans of the CW’s The Flash to explore their devotion and protection of female character Iris West.
This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Departments of English and Sociology, and the Film Studies Program. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement.
Biography (provided by the speaker)
Kristen Warner is an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media at The University of Alabama. She is the author The Cultural Politics of Colorblind TV Casting (Routledge, 2015). Kristen’s research interests are centered at the juxtaposition of televisual racial representation and its place within the media industries, particularly within the practice of casting. Warner’s work can be found in Television and New Media, Camera Obscura and a host of anthologies and online websites.
Video of the Lecture