Call for papers for Recherches sociographiques: "Picturing Quebec with Caricatures"

[Alexandre Turgeon]

Picturing Quebec with Caricatures

Moods and Humor of a Society Through Time

Call for papers for Recherches sociographiques (2014)

In Quebec, as elsewhere, caricature as a medium is being used increasingly to depict society as it evolves. Caricaturists are popular; they have become real stars by appearing on television, with some even hosting their own shows! They also have a strong presence on the Web and their published works top the bestsellers lists.

For some time now, caricaturist’s work has been (re-)discovered as a source for studying society. Under the influence of those comic editorialists and their biting and caustic humor, representations are built that inspire, provoke, entertain or incite conversation. On this basis, a society may transform, crystallize, laugh or cry at itself.

In this thematic issue, we endeavor to broaden reflection and research about caricature by specific examples or methodological and theoretical reflection drawn from the history of those drawings in Quebec, to see how caricature carried and created the moods of a society in different periods of its history.

Moods of a society can be defined as the collective imaginaries: as they are different ways of representing the self and the other. Those moods can also be understood by the metaphor of an historical or political play, of which the main characters are the politicians, of course, who are still as of today the main inspiration of caricaturists. Hidden behind the caricatures drawn by those talented artists are social issues and power relationships which describe in details about the way a society may reflect upon itself through its evolution. Can a caricature’s impact be studied, and if so, how? This is a topic that should not be neglected and must be brought to light.

Reasoning about moods and humor of a society requires further works as specific studies may result in bringing a (forced) laugh to the reader about the past and present of Quebec and a questioning about its future.

It’s been said before, a picture is worth a thousand words. However one must be able to make the picture talk. In most cases, the pictures are only used to illustrate the text. Frequently, pictures are limited to the middle pages, set apart from the body of the text. In this issue, it will be the opposite. Not only will the pictures be closely related; they will also be at the center of texts and analysis. The purpose of it all is simple: to make the pictures talk... and to prick up our ears!

To submit a publishing project, please contact Alexandre Turgeon (alexandre...@ulaval.ca).

Deadline to submit a publishing project (400 words): April 1^st 2013

Acceptation date for proposals: May 1^st 2013

Submission date for articles: April 1^st 2014 (to be published in 2015)

Recherches sociographiques publishes original study projects about Quebec and French Canada. Given its interdisciplinary nature, sociologists, historians, demographers, economists, anthropologists, political scientists and literary academics collaborate to the journal.

The issue will be published in French, but propositions and articles in English will be evaluated. Authors of accepted articles will have the responsibility to produce a professional translation of their article. Comparative studies are also welcome, providing that Quebec or French Canada is one of the two subjects of the study.