Australian university to host int'l academic 'Swiftposium' discussing Taylor Swift's global impact
From dominating the global music industry, pop megastar Taylor Swift has clearly begun infiltrating the world's education sector. The latest addition to the lineup? University of Melbourne's international "Swiftposium" happening in February.
According to the educational institution, the Swifposium 2024 will discuss how the phenomenal star has been making a big impact on the global music industry, pop culture, literature, and economy. The three-day event is organized by scholars from seven universities in Australia and New Zealand and aims to gather researchers from the Asia-Pacific region.
It is set to take place from Feb. 11 to 13, 2024 at the University of Melbourne in Australia and will be streamed online. The hybrid academic symposium will coincide with the Australia leg of Swift's "The Eras" world tour.
Swiftposium 2024's website has listed a number of topics researchers can submit papers on, including the phenomenon of Swift's fandom, the effect of her events on urban landscapes, the star's "relationship to social movements such as feminism and LGBTQ+, her relation to mental health issues, as well as her team's marketing strategy and communications
One of the Swiftposium organizers, Dr. Jennifer Beckett, told BBC that the academic symposium stemmed from a half-serious tweet this year.
"She's quite a phenomenon," Beckett said. Taylor Swift really does have a very concrete impact globally, across things that affect all of us."
"World leaders are begging for her to bring the Eras Tour to their country because of the economic benefits that it brings," she added.
Speakers and topics for the Swiftposium will be finalized in the coming months. The organizers, according to Beckett, are also planning to include a ticketed event for plans.
She noted that they'd love to have the pop superstar participate in the event.
“If Taylor Swift wants to come, I think all of us would have to spend some time picking our jaws up from the ground, but that invitation is definitely there,” Beckett remarked. “TayTay if you want to come, we’d love to have you.”
Registration opens on Nov. 30, as fees have yet to be announced.