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Abigail Hockaday

Doctoral Student in Literature - Abigail’s thesis is entitled ‘Affected Fans, Affecting Communities, Affective Spaces: Genre and Feeling in British Science Fiction Magazines (1930-1960)'

Research Project Title:

Affected Fans, Affecting Communities, Affective Spaces: Genre and Feeling in British Science Fiction Magazines (1930-1960)

 

Supervisors:

Dr Stacy Gillis and Dr Kirsten MacLeod

Contact Details:

Email: a.hockaday@newcastle.ac.uk

 

Research Interests:

  • Science Fiction
  • Feminist Theory (particularly Cyberfeminism)
  • Periodical Studies
  • Affect Theory
  • Science and Technology Studies
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Brief Outline of Research Project:

My project traces how British science fiction (SF) magazines and their networks were established as affective spaces by the fan community. I interrogate how these affective spaces create and circulate intensities such as threat, hope, enchantment, and wonder - all key affects at play in SF within these magazines as demonstrated in the editorials and letters of comment (LOCs) - to explore issues of gender, sexuality, race, and disability. I mobilise theories of affect in two ways: in reading textually (fiction, non-fiction, letters, editorials) and reading materially (production, circulation, seriality, networks). The project re-constructs the early fandom of British SF through an understanding of the affective possibilities of the magazines and their fans. 

Research Activities:

Academic Background:

  • MLitt in English Literature, Newcastle University
  • BA in English Literature, Newcastle University