Motorcycle Culture in Photography and Film
Chairs: Elizabeth Howie, Coastal Carolina University; and Armon Means, Belmont University

Motorcycle culture and its participants occupy a near-mythic status in US culture, whether in terms of gangs, clubs, fashion, bike style and customization, popular culture, film, and/or photography. The activity of riding a motorcycle is no longer limited to a single demographic, and terms such as "biker" and "subculture" are potentially no longer accurate descriptors. The social nature of motorcycle riding can cultivate camaraderie and community, as well as paradoxically foster conformity in rebellion against mainstream society. Stereotypically motorcycles can signify freedom, independence, danger, fearlessness, masculinity, and subversiveness. However, these stereotypes neglect the full spectrum of bikers who find community in motorcycle culture and organizations. Well-known representations of motorcycle culture include Danny Lyon’s The Bikeriders (1968), the film Easy Rider (1969), and tv series Sons of Anarchy (2008-14). This panel seeks presentations of either creative work or research on manifestations/representations of motorcycle culture in the US or internationally. Topics could include motorcycles and bikers in photography, documentary, film, design history, etc., and analyses related to race, gender, sexuality, class, fashion, and style, from their late-nineteenth-century invention to the present.
Interested scholars should submit for consideration an abstract of 200 words (max) via the following online portal: https://secac.secure-platform.com. Please click link above, create a free account, click the Call for Papers tab, under "Session: Select the session to which you are submitting this proposal," choose "Studio and Art History," then when the next dropdown box appears choose "Motorcycle Culture in Photography and Film." The portal will remain open for submissions through Wednesday, 1 May 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Questions regarding the above session may be addressed to the co-chair at ehowiecoastal.edu. For general inquiries about the annual meeting, please contact Conference Director Tracy Stonestreet (SECACdirectorumw.edu).

N.B. Any scholar whose paper is accepted to the session must be (or become) an active member of SECAC through the date of the conference and pay the conference registration fee.