The television series Peaky Blinders (BBC Two S1–S4, BBC One S5–S6 / Netflix 2012–2023) has established itself as an essential cultural phenomenon, offering a multifaceted portrayal of interwar England—a period rarely explored on screen in a serialized format. This conference aims to examine the series’ many facets through both an aesthetic and a cultural lens, encompassing several geographic regions, including England, Europe, and diasporas from Ireland and the United States. An interdisciplinary approach will form the foundation of the conference; thus, the TV series will be studied in its entirety.

Serial Polysemic journeys: The Case of PEAKY BLINDERS (2013–2022) Steven Knight - Université de Strasbourg December 2nd, 3rd and 4th 2026

Argument

The television series Peaky Blinders (BBC Two S1–S4, BBC One S5–S6 / Netflix 2012–2023) has established itself as an essential cultural phenomenon, offering a multifaceted portrayal of interwar England—a period rarely explored on screen in a serialized format.

This conference aims to examine the series’ many facets through both an aesthetic and a cultural lens, encompassing several geographic regions, including England, Europe, and diasporas from Ireland and the United States. An interdisciplinary approach will form the foundation of the conference; thus, the TV series will be studied in its entirety. The series Peaky Blinders presents unapologetically fictionalized depictions of the interwar period through a historical, cultural, and social lens. What perspective does the series adopt to represent daily lives during this period—for example, the place and role of the Garrison Pub, dress codes, or sociocultural practices such as betting on horses, boxing matches, and soccer games? The series also explores the construction of individual and collective identities within various communities: Chinese, Jewish, Italian, Caribbean, and Romani/Travellers. Furthermore, the issues of immigration and xenophobia addressed by the series can be interpreted through a postcolonial lens: how are the traditions and the sociolinguistic and cultural specificities of the members of these communities in England portrayed throughout the various seasons?

The narrative, set in the interwar period, naturally lends itself to exploration in serial format of a relatively long span of time between major historical turning points^[1]. Several themes related to international and national contexts portray post-traumatic stress disorders linked to World War I, Anglo-Russian diplomacy, and the rise of fascism. The evolution of social and political movements within Great Britain is at the heart of the series, including the class struggle in northern England, communism, the rise of the Labour Party, and the role of the city of Birmingham, depicted as a character in its own right. Women also play a central role in the context of struggle, echoing the fight of the suffragists and suffragettes. What, then, of the portrayal of the government, politicians, police, and intelligence services? In particular, the political dimension of the Anglo-Irish conflict (1919–1921) could be a subject of discussion. What images are projected both on and off screen regarding the IRA (Irish Republican Army), loyalist paramilitary organizations, or even Protestant gangs as far north as Scotland, such as the Billy Boys? Do these portrayals contribute to the series’ narration or reinterpretation of this conflict?

This civilizational approach is intrinsically linked to the aesthetic codes of the serial format, which—like any audiovisual production—combines image and sound. To inform and enrich critical analysis, these readings will highlight the aesthetics of violence by examining various ethical, philosophical, and historiographical questions involving the portrayal of collective and individual traumatic memory. How should we interpret the hybrid genre of this British series^[2]—inspired by gangster films, film noir, and Westerns, all reimagined in serial format? What about the figures of the hero and the antihero within this same format? As for the soundtrack, which oscillates between traditional songs and anachronistic music, how should we interpret these references and the different musical time periods? We should also note the prominent role of Nick Cave’s song “Red Right Hand,” used as the theme song for Peaky Blinders: what image or voice-over commentary does it convey to the viewer about the series?

The theoretical approach of this conference is based on the premise that the series has developed its own distinct form within television, creating the very genre of the “TV series”; the study of this serial format will highlight the hybrid nature of this genre in relation to its critical apparatus. An approach grounded in the concept of “serial literacy” will emphasize both formal and content-based analyses. The symposium’s topics for discussion will also address the issue of storytelling and the concept of “Complex TV,” which allows us to assess how television storytelling has evolved in light of technological advancements, production methods, and the expectations of series fans.^[3] This corresponds precisely to a period in the history of television known as “Peak TV” or “Quality TV,” during which cinematic techniques have become more sophisticated and production values have risen. Seasons, subdivided into episodes, form a serial unity in terms of everyday life, temporality, and ellipsis, highlighting what the very short can reveal about the very long.^[4]

Funding, as well as local and national productions, are also potential areas of study. What about the distribution of this series—which is now streaming on Netflix—the casting choices, the actors’ and actresses’ subsequent fame, and the impact of streaming platforms on the creation and reception of this work? More broadly, a study of who watches the series could be explored, to assess which aspects are appreciated, and how they are shared. From a more institutional perspective, the question of who critiques the series and through what approaches could be addressed. These contextual elements are likely to have influenced the series’ writing choices over the course of the seasons and offer rich interpretive frameworks.

Presentations may address various lines of inquiry, such as (non-exhaustive list):

• Social and political transitions
• The world, the nation, clans
• Territory and power
• Irish identity and ethnic groups
• The family
• Cultural studies
• Gender studies
• Language and narrative—Accents
• Hybrid-genre television series
• The polysemy of visual and auditory motifs

Submission Guidelines

Proposals for papers (in English or French) of approximately 250–300 words, accompanied by a title and a short biographical and bibliographical note, should be sent to the following addresses: Cecile.Bazin@uphf.fr, estelle.epinoux@unilim.fr, lipson@unistra.fr,

Before September 25, 2026

Authors will be notified of the status of their proposals by October 15, 2026, at the latest. This symposium will lead to publication of an edited volume by an English-language publisher.

Project leaders

David Lipson (lipson@unistra.fr)

Cécile Bazin (Cecile.Bazin@uphf.fr)

Estelle Epinoux (estelle.epinoux@unilim.fr)

Scientific Committee

• Maelle Amand (CeReS, Université de Limoges)
• Cécile Bazin (LaRSH-CRISS, Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France) Florence Cabaret (ERIAC, Université de Rouen)
• Edwige Camp-Pietrain (LaRSH-CRISS, Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France) Estelle Épinoux (EHIC, Université de Limoges)
• Frank Healy (CRHIA, Université de la Rochelle) David Lipson (SEARCH, Université de Strasbourg)
• Karine Rivière-De-Franco (CEPOC-POLEN, Université d'Orléans) David Roche (RiRRa21, IUF, Université de Montpellier Paul Valéry) Frank Rynne (AGORA, CY Cergy Paris Université)
• Sophie Suma (ACCRA, Université de Strasbourg)

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Notes

^[1] ‘L’histoire à l’épreuve des séries’, Antoine Faure, Emmanuel Taïeb. Les sens de l’histoire, TV/Series, 17 | 2020, p.1.

^[2] ‘What Makes British TV Series British?’, Laura Benoit and Laurent Mellet, Caliban, French Journal of English Studies, https://doi.org/10.4000/16dd1, 75/2026.

^[3] ‘How TV storytelling has changed and what cultural practices within TV technology, industry and viewership have enabled and encouraged these transformations’, Jason Mittel, Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. NYU Press, 2015, p. 2.

^[4] ‘What can the very short reveal about the very long?’, A. Hudelet, ‘Dealing with Long Duration: TV Series, Aesthetics and Close Analysis’, In Media, Ubiquitous Visuality, 8.1. 2020.