The Current State of Zombie Studies
What is the current state of zombie studies, and what of the zombie? The conference Dead or Alive? aims to reflect on the figure of the zombie today, its power as a marker of contemporary anxieties, as a fully commercialized genre staple, as a symbolic means of resolving real contradictions, as a touchstone of popular culture, and more. What work can the zombie do in the contemporary, and how important does it remain in culture?
In asking these questions, the conference brings together not so much singular case studies but rather develops broader arguments about the zombie figure’s valences, the ways in which it still does (or does not) appear a useful means of exploring the contemporary situation, or can help us understand our pasts.
For the past twenty years or so, the zombie has served as a multivalent means of exploring contemporary anxieties and systemic pressures; but at the same time, its heyday may easily seem to have passed. Or perhaps the proliferation of zombie narratives in South Korean and other non-American national cinemas and audiovisual media suggests that the zombie remains as relevant as ever. In light of these difficulties in coming to terms with it, diagnosing the potential decline (and as potential continued relevance) of the zombie is the major concern of the conference.
The talks are available on YouTube (@zombieconference).
The conference was funded by