Slayage conference brings Joss Whedon academics to Vancouver

You’re in luck if you’re a local fan of all things Joss Whedon, because the fifth biannual Slayage conference occupies UBC’s Allard Hall from July 12th to 15th.

Academics from around the world and across disciplines will be in town to discuss the multiplicity of Whedonverse creations. Highlights of the four-day event include over 70 talks on topics ranging from alternative sexualities in Astonishing X-Men to feminism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. UBC law professor Sharon Sutherland will give a presentation on how Whedon’s work reflects public perceptions of law and justice, while UBC Department of Sociology’s Hélène Frohard-Dourlent will discuss racial representation in his work.

”Whedon’s work has attracted more scholarly research than any other popular culture property”, says Sutherland in a recent press release. “The appeal of these works to scholars turns on the strength and insight of the metaphorical connections to the real world. For example, Buffy the Vampire Slayer may have literally dealt with monsters, but the stories resonate with the real battles that high-school students experience every day.”

As UBC has also been a filming location for locally shot sci-fi TV series like Battlestar Gallactica and Supernatural, the conference will also include a campus tour that highlights the various filming spots seen in those series and others.

One-day passes for the general public are $75, but students can snag them for $50 each, payable in cash at the door. For more info, go here.

Follow Jennie Ramstad on Twitter at twitter.com/jennieramstad.