Sure, Taylor Swift has inspired a bunch of college courses, but Australia is taking the study of Taylor to the next level. The BBC reports that Australia is holding the first-ever international academic symposium — a “Swiftposium,” if you will — on the pop superstar.
The three-day event will be held in February, when Taylor is scheduled to bring the Eras Tour to Australia. The symposium will study her influence on the music industry, culture and the economy.
Dr. Jennifer Beckett of the University of Melbourne is organizing the symposium, and she told the BBC that Taylor is “quite a phenomenon.”
“Taylor Swift really does have a very concrete impact globally, across things that affect all of us,” she adds. “World leaders are begging for her to bring the Eras Tour to their country because of the economic benefits that it brings.”
Academic researchers from the Asia-Pacific region are invited submit proposals for papers to present at Swiftposium. These papers will connect Taylor to such topics as gender, identity, race and intersectionality, sexuality, mental health, marketing strategies, the #metoo movement, pop culture, intellectual property and political discourse.
Fans as well as academics will be able to attend, and oh — if Taylor herself wants to pop in, she’s welcome, too.
“I think all of us would have to spend some time picking our jaws up from the ground, but that invitation is definitely there,” Dr. Beckett told the BBC. “TayTay, if you want to come, we’d love to have you.”
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