*CFP* "RETHINKING, REMAKING, REIMAGINING: THE AMERICAN COWBOY IN A 21ST CENTURY CONTEXT", UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS

Submissions are currently being sought for an upcoming anthology focused on the changing dynamics of the “Cowboy” as a central archetype of the American mythos. Submissions should interrogate aspects of the cowboy as a pop culture figure in the 21st century paying special attention to how the figure of the cowboy has been updated, altered, re-invented, re-interpreted, re-envisioned, or challenged in any genre of popular culture that utilizes the motif of the American West, the Wild West, or the Cowboy. This anthology seeks to bring together an interdisciplinary collection of essays engaging the idea of shifting dynamics of the cowboy legacy across social, political, and cultural landscapes.

One of the major goals of this collection is to get beyond the traditional venues of culture critique as it applies to the Western motif in popular culture—typically identified as film, television, literature, and fashion. Essays examining the Cowboy archetype in the context of the traditional venues will not be given less consideration, but this volume seeks to elevate the discussion beyond this scope by drawing upon less traditional areas of critique such as video games, graphic novels, animated short films, and other overlooked resources, including work that explores the exportation of the Cowboy mythology to other cultures.

The goal of this collection of essays is to examine specifically the ways that the American West is re-presented in a contemporary context as an idea and at the same time examine how the cowboy is re-presented as an identity where both aspects are used to frame, develop, and reify American values, customs, and traditions.

The anthology will be organized according to themes and subject matter that emerge from submissions. Essays must be new scholarship, not previously published or under consideration elsewhere, and, while the focus of the essays should be on the use of the cowboy in pop culture artifacts, authors should maintain a level of academic rigor in accordance with the expectations of UOP. Please contact Clint Jones (cljones@uwsp.edu) with questions regarding topics or related lines of inquiry. Submit proposed chapter titles, abstracts of 500 words, or completed essays, along with a brief CV, to Clint Jones by Nov. 1, 2018. Completed essays will be given priority. 

Completed drafts, 6,000-8,000 words, including notes, are due by Feb. 1, 2019. Note: acceptance of a proposal does not guarantee the acceptance of the full chapter into the completed volume. All submissions are subject to a peer review process prior to contract and publication.

Again, please contact Clint Jones (cljones@uwsp.edu) with questions regarding topics or related lines of inquiry.