NEW SITE - doctorwhoandrace.com

Redirect me!

'Doctor Who and Race' book forthcoming mid-2013

Doctor Who and Race, edited by Lindy Orthia, is now in the final stages of publication with Intellect Books and will be published in mid-2013.

In the countdown to publication a new blog associated with the book will go live at http://doctorwhoandrace.com.

The new blog will feature space for public debate and discussion about the book and the topic of Doctor Who and race more generally.

Thanks again for your interest and get ready for a fantastic read and discussion!

Call For Papers

Submissions now closed. Thanks everyone for your interest and watch this space in late 2012 for news of the book.
- Cheers, Lindy


Doctor Who is the longest-running science fiction television series in the world. A popular series in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and a cult phenomenon through the 1990s, the program has undergone a huge revival in popularity in the 21st century on the back of its new series. At the same time, Doctor Who has been critiqued throughout its history for its various representations of race, even while being praised for its ethos of liberal tolerance. A few academic papers and blog posts have discussed aspects of Doctor Who and race, but there is no doubt more to say on the subject. In this call for papers I am seeking contributions to a book -- contributions that will expand the conversation about Doctor Who and race, taking it in new directions and covering new ground. The proposed book will bring together some of the already-published works for the first time, but the bulk of its content will be new writings.

Two kinds of contributions are invited: academic-style essays 5000-7000 words in length, and personal-style reflections of up to 1000 words. The intended readership is mixed academic and non-academic readers, so contributions should be written to a quality standard but in language that is relatively accessible to non-specialists, with any specialist terminology explained. Ideally the book will bring academic theorising about race and representation to new, non-academic audiences, and simultaneously bring diverse personal experiences and thoughts about the significance of race in Doctor Who to the attention of the academic community.

Contributions may focus on any or all of the Doctor Who television serials, from both the original (1963-1989) and new series (2005--). Contributions that primarily address Doctor Who texts other than the television series, such as the films, audio-plays, novels, and spin-off television programs, might be considered depending on space.

Under the scope of the concept ‘race’, contributors may discuss (but are not limited to) any of:

• the ethnic or racial backgrounds, identities and racially-signifying physical traits of characters, communities, and actors in Doctor Who
• depictions of racism, racial stereotyping and race-related exploitation in the program
• Doctor Who stories that reference colonialism, imperialism, nationalism, and other race-related phenomena significant in human history, such as slavery and civil rights movements
• allegorical literary tools used in the program to reference race, such as the alien as ‘other’.

Contributions that address links between race and science are strongly encouraged.

Diverse disciplinary and theoretical approaches are invited for the academic-style essays, which will be assessed on the basis of originality, quality of scholarship, and useful contribution to the subject in terms of both advancing theory and expanding our understanding of Doctor Who. The personal-style reflections will be selected to maximise originality, quality of writing, and a diversity of perspectives.

The proposed book has already garnered interest from a publisher (Intellect) and the anticipated date of publication is late 2012 or early 2013. The deadline for expressions of interest is 15 December 2011. Details of how to submit your expression of interest can be found here on the blog: click each of the links on the right for more information.

All authors are advised to have their writing proof-read by a competent (and ideally professional) writer prior to submission, since quality of writing is one of the selection criteria. Contributions must be in English, but authors from non-English-speaking nations and backgrounds are encouraged to submit expressions of interest. Short-listed contributors whose expressions of interest seem overly similar may be asked to consider collaborating on a single work. 

Prospective contributors will benefit from reading works already published on this topic, since originality is one of the criteria for making the short-list. A select bibliography of these works is available here, through the 'recommended reading' link on the right.

Lindy Orthia, editor

For more information: lindy.orthia at anu.edu.au 

To submit expressions of interest: lindy.orthia at gmail.com

(for proper email addresses delete spaces and change 'at' to @)