The sixth Conference of the International Crime Fiction Association will be held at G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara (Italy), from 12 to 15 of June. Building upon and developing ideas and themes from the previous five successful conferences, “Captivating Criminality 6. Metamorphoses of Crime: Facts and Fictions” will examine the ways in which crime fiction as a genre incorporates elements of real-life cases and, in turn, influences society by conveying thought-provoking ideas of deviance, criminal activity, investigation and punishment.

In addition to exploring the complex relations between facts and fictions, the conference will focus on the metamorphoses of crime across media, as well as cultural and critical boundaries. The enduring appeal of the genre is also due to its openness to historical and cultural movements – such as feminism, gender studies, queer politics, postmodernism – as well as to concepts drawn from specific fields of knowledge, such as sociology and psychology. Similarly relevant to the “metamorphoses of crime” are cultural exchanges among remote areas of the world, which add new perspectives to the genre’s representation of customs and ethnical issues.

The Link Campus University research team will present a special panel titled “DETECting L’allieva: Popular crime narratives and the formation of a transcultural European Identity”. Combining expertise from both film studies and sociological research, the panel aims to illustrate the main objectives and research methodologies of the DETECt project through a focus on the Italian TV series L’allieva (Endemol Shine Italia / Rai Fiction, 2016-), inspired by the novels of Alessia Gazzola. L’allieva tells the sentimental and professional life of Alice Allevi, a resident in forensic medicine who is also a curious mix between the amateur and the professional investigator: a talented, naïve and muddling student, with a good feminine intuition that helps police to solve complex cases. Within this general, theoretical framework, a case study like L’allieva allows to point out and discuss the main research areas that will be developed by the LCU research unit, and in particular:
– The tension between tradition and innovation displayed by recent crime TV shows produced by Rai Fiction, the Italian public broadcaster, in the wider context of the and international audiovisual sector;
– The international distribution and circulation of Italian crime productions;
– The hybridization between different genres, and particularly (in the case of L’allieva) between crime and romantic comedy;
– Changes, innovation, and stereotypes in gender identities, with particular attention to female characters in the role of detective;
– The relationships between audiovisual narratives, literary narratives, and transmedia fictional worlds;
– Forms and practices of promotion, reception, and consumption between the press and social media.

For more information please download the Conference full programme.