Detecting Transcultural Identity in European Popular Crime Narratives

This project examines examples of crime fiction to learn how mobility strategies such as co-production, serialization, translation, adaptation, distribution, and more, have influenced the transnational dissemination of European popular culture. It also investigates how the treatment of specific ‘mobile signifiers’—including representations of gender, ethnic and class identities—affect the ability of European narratives to migrate outside their place of origin, and be appropriated elsewhere in different and variegated ways. Researching the history of the crime genre in Europe, DETECt aims to identify the practices of production, distribution and consumption that are best suited to facilitate the emergence of engaging representations of Europe’s enormously rich, plural and cross-cultural identity.

Coordinated by Monica Dall’Asta (University of Bologna), and in further cooperation with Fred Truyen (University of Leuven) as well as with the universities of Aalborg, Limoges, and the Queen’s University of Belfast. A large collaborative initiative the project further involves teachers, students, professionals of the creative industries, and the general public.

For more information, visit the project's website.