50 Years After Bruce Lee: Asian Martial Arts on Screen and Off
(19-21 July 2023, University of Sheffield)
In the half-century since Bruce Lee, what has been the story, status and significance of Asian martial arts? Bruce Lee was pivotal in making Asian martial arts into a global phenomenon, both on screen and off. His on-screen choreography set new standards and his polemical publications about martial arts training threw down a gauntlet, the reverberations of which are still being felt, in film, television, media, popular culture, and of course, martial arts practice around the world.This conference – held on the 50th anniversary of his tragic death – seeks to interrogate the status of Asian martial arts, both on screen and off, in the wake of Bruce Lee. We invite abstracts that engage with the connections between Bruce Lee and Asian martial arts, whether in terms of cinematic styles, the development of martial arts discourses, or in the diverse connections of these realms with other areas of media, culture and society.
The conference seeks to bridge and connect the disciplinary fields of film studies, media studies and cultural studies, but the organisers are also open to proposals from related fields such as sociology, ethnography, anthropology, history and other forms of martial arts studies.
To submit a proposal for an individual paper (20 minutes) or a complete themed panel (of three thematically-connected papers), please send one Word Document to Dr Wayne Wong ([email protected]) containing the following information:
• Title
• Abstract (300 words max)
• Bio-note (150 words max)
• Keywords (5 max)
• Contact email address
• Link to personal or professional webpage (if available)
Deadline for Proposals: to be confirmed
Notification of decision: to be confirmed
Registration opens: to be confirmed
If you have any questions or wish to discuss potential ideas, please contact either/both Professor Paul Bowman ([email protected]) and/or Dr. Wayne Wong ([email protected]).
Best wishes,
Paul