International conference ‘Writing and Reading Romance Literature in Contemporary Worlds: Changes and Continuities in 20th- and 21st-Century Societies’
GRIC, University of Le Havre Normandy, 2–3–4 February 2027.
Conference languages: English and French.
General framework of the conference
The ‘obvious’ nature of romance as a literary genre sometimes tends to obscure the diversity of its transformations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Far from constituting a stable or universally defined category, romance encompasses multiple subgenres that range from descriptive narratives (e.g., campus romance, cowboy romance) to warnings to readers, as in the case of Dark Romance, while the set of practices and ideas that shape its production (authors, publishers) and consumption (readers) remain largely unexplored. This conference invites participants to examine the concrete experiences, uses, and appropriations that seem to define the romance novel as written and read today, thereby constructing a national and international space centred on the romance genre. Indeed, given the cultural and economic interest that romance generates in contemporary societies, Romance Studies brings together researchers from multiple countries and disciplines: literature and history, as well as sociology of culture, economics, and visual studies etc.
The State of Romance in the 21st Century
Since romance is traditionally associated with female authorship and a predominantly female readership – though these categories are not exclusive – and because at the heart of romance lies a love story in which a happy ending is one of the key genre markers, questions of gender abound in the narrative and are embodied in the characters. Thus, the portrayal of the critique of patriarchy in the 1980s (e.g. Radway, Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy and Popular Literature, 1984) preceded the portrayal of gender equality since 2000 (e.g. Boussahba, Temps des médias, 2021). Despite the political and legal achievements of the 20th century, notably women’s access to the right to vote in many countries, equality in law does not guarantee equality in practice, something that women and men continue to demand. By denouncing inequalities in the workplace or in access to personal time, as well as medical discrimination or the violence of the non-consensual appropriation of the female body, Romance (overwhelmingly so, despite a few reactionary productions) contributes to the reformulation of this democratic and egalitarian ideal both in society and in the private sphere. The centrality of exclusion affects the social lives of women and men and largely shapes the plot, characters, and romance fiction written since 2000—a genre officially banned in certain countries where gender-based violence and restrictions dominate legislation and daily life.
Since 2000, the affinity between democracy and Romance has been reflected in the fictional portrayal of obstacles to equality – obstacles that are invariably overcome by the end of the plot. How might we define this relationship between democracy and romance? Is it because romance is produced in a democracy that it sells well there, or is it ultimately merely a vehicle for the most widespread ideas at any given time? What role do postcolonial romances play in the critique of relations between former colonised territories and their former metropolitan powers? Does Romance have educational potential for the wide variety of groups seeking to reflect on their political choices in the broadest sense? The erosion of individual freedoms advocated by illiberal parties or alliances seems intent on reshuffling the social and political deck to the benefit of gender, class and racial inequalities: could one imagine romance fiction produced in support of an illiberal state that would still find its readership, both nationally and internationally?
This conference, titled ‘Writing and Reading Romance in Contemporary Worlds: Changes and Continuities in 20th- and 21st-Century Societies,’ aims to foster critical and historical reflection on the romance genre by examining the dynamics of its construction, renewal, and reconfiguration in the 20th and 21st centuries. This conference invites participants to consider a range of perspectives: the transformations of the genre within contemporary societies; turning points in authors’ careers; the history of publishing houses, as well as the emerging types of romance genres, of their modes of publication, and reading practices.
This invitation to reflectively consider the history of romance raises questions about the nature of these moments of construction and reconstruction in the 20th and 21st centuries. Can we speak of specific moments of transformation? Or rather, of a more continuous evolution? How do female and male participants (authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and readers) contribute to the production and consumption of romance novels? What are the obstacles and resistance to this cultural model? Has romance, now an indispensable part of culture, opened up a new field or a new mode of cultural dissemination? What roles do media formats—particularly visual ones (films and TV movies)—play in the international dissemination of romance?
Papers may address, amongst other approaches, the following aspects:
- Types of romance and typology. As the sea and the ocean are spaces worthy of exploration, papers on examples of ‘maritime romances’ will enable us to reflect on this type of romance and to characterise these spaces, which are often secondary in Romance literature. The conference day devoted to ‘maritime romances’ forms part of a major, interdisciplinary research project at the University of Le Havre Normandy. We also welcome proposals on ‘ecological romances’ to begin exploring this genre.
- Key Players in Romance Fiction. Whether because they are new entrants to the field or have revised their strategies, we would like to gain a better understanding of publishing houses and their catalogues; libraries and their romance sections; and bookshops specialising in romance.
We would also like to gain a better understanding of the changes affecting female authors, their CVs and their working methods. How do all these professionals connect with readers? Do readers have collective ways of meeting and exchanging ideas amongst themselves?
- Moments of construction and reconstruction of romance in 20th- and 21st-century
societies. We are looking for proposals based on studies over time: a study of a career, a study of romance novel production in a particular country, a study of economic profitability, a study of romance employment sector; a study of changes in romance readership; a study of technological developments in the distribution of romance novels; a study of adaptations for the screen; a study of the globalisation of the romance novel market; a study of romance novel production within a single language or country.
Conference Format
The conference will be held in person on the Lebon campus of the University of Le Havre, Normandy.
Conference languages: English, French.
Call for Papers. Paper proposals must be submitted by December 3, 2026, to the following
email address: myriam.boussahba-bravard@univ-lehavre.fr. Proposals must be submitted as a single document (.doc) containing the following information:
- A short biographical sketch of the author (150–200 words);
- An abstract summarizing the paper (300–400 words).
Doctoral students are welcome.
Important Dates:
- Deadline for submitting a paper proposal: December 3, 2026.
- Notification of accepted papers: December 18, 2027.
- Conference dates : February 2–3–4, 2027.
Scientific Committee:
Anne Besnault (Senior Lecturer, ERIAC, University of Rouen Normandy, France)
Myriam Boussahba (Professor, GRIC, University of Le Havre Normandy, France)
Amy Burge (Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom)
Florence Cabaret (Senior Lecturer, ERIAC, University of Rouen Normandy, France)
Delphine Chedaleux (Lecturer, Compiègne University of Technology, France)
Joseph Crawford (Professor, University of Exeter, United Kingdom)
Virginie Douglas (Professor, GRIC, University of Le Havre Normandy, France)
Paloma Fresno (Professor, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain)
Nuno Medeiros (Senior Lecturer, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Delphine Munos (Senior Lecturer, University of Liège, Belgium)
Dana Percec (Professor, West University of Timișoara, Romania)
Agnieszka Stasiewicz-Bienkowska (Lecturer, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland)
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