Call for Papers: Influencers and Gender Politics in South East Asia symposium, Friday, 9 May 2025 (Online). Applications now open, closing 31 March 2025. Organised by Influencer Ethnography Research Lab (Curtin University) and Asian Cultural Research Hub (University of Melbourne). Convenors: Dr Annisa R. Beta (University of Melbourne), Dr Hao Zheng (Curtin University), Prof Crystal Abidin (Curtin University). For more details, click here<https://ierlab.com/gender-politics/> This symposium and the resulting edited volume aim to critically examine the relationship between influencers and gender politics in South East Asia. With a particular focus on South East Asia, the symposium aims to encompass studies and discussions based in or related to eleven countries—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam—as well as the diverse migrants and diasporas in and from South East Asia, such as generations of Chinese migrants in Singapore and Malaysia and the growing population of digital nomads in Thailand and Indonesia. We welcome submissions from scholars, including graduate researchers and early-career researchers, who focus on influencers associated with, residing in, or otherwise closely connected to South East Asia. We encourage interdisciplinary work and collaborative research produced with non- academic partners. We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions on (but not limited to) the topics listed below: * Influencer-led or centred activism and advocacy related to gender politics, for e.g. #MeToo, Women Also Know Stuff, Movember * Commercialisation of gender politics among influencers, for e.g. how-to manuals for tradwives, influencer-produced courses on various parenting tips * Audience responses to and engagement with influencer’s gender discourses, for e.g. fandoms or anti-fandoms * Gendered aesthetics of influencer cultures, for e.g. storytelling, self-branding, and the spectacle of empowerment * Intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class, religion and ability discussed, represented, speculated and demonstrated by influencers, for e.g. Muslim feminist influencers in rural areas * Localised influencer cultures and gender politics, for e.g. navigating socio-cultural and political contexts in relation to geographical locations and origins * Roles of influencers and influencer cultures in shaping gender discourses, for e.g. digital activism, online debates on gender inequality, rhetorics of male supremacy, the promotion of conventional femininity Submission Guidelines We invite submissions of extended abstracts (800-1,000 words, excluding bibliography) addressing the symposium theme. You may use any citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, or others) you prefer, as long as it is consistent. Please also provide a bibliography. Your bibliography is not included in the extended abstract word count limit. We suggest the extended abstract to include: * a brief discussion of the context of your research and how it addresses existing research literature or practices; * the research question(s) or issue(s) to be discussed; * the key argument/main finding and a brief explanation why it is important, relevant, and interesting; * the methodological approach and/or the methods/techniques used for the research; * a short discussion of data or research materials and analysis; and * a discussion of the (preliminary) findings. The symposium conveners are currently pitching an edited volume to a leading publisher as an output of the symposium. Shortlisted presenters are expected to submit a full chapter (4-5,000 words) draft by 2 June 2025 (three weeks after the symposium) for inclusion in the volume. As such, please ensure that you submit to the symposium only if the work is original and previously unpublished, and if you are willing to be considered for the edited volume. Submit your application, including the extended abstract, via the Google Form<https://forms.gle/o62pm6RFnHS7M3BZ7> by 5pm (AEDT), 31 March 2025. Important dates: * Extended abstract submission deadline: 5pm (AEDT), 31 March 2025 * Notification of acceptance: 14 April 2025 * Symposium date: 9 May 2025 (Online) * Full chapter submission deadline: 2 June 2025 * Anticipated edited volume publication: 2026 Contact: If you have any enquiries regarding your submission, please email both Annisa R. Beta (annisa.beta [at] unimelb.edu.au) and Hao Zheng (hao.zheng [at] curtin.edu.au). Best, Annisa Annisa R. Beta | she/her/dia ARC DECRA Fellow & Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies<https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/854717-annisa-beta> School of Culture and Communication | Faculty of Arts The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia annisa.beta@unimelb.edu.au<mailto:annisa.beta@unimelb.edu.au> I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which I work, and pay my respects to the Elders, past and present.