Taylor Swift: Inside a world-first 'Swiftposium' academic summit - BBC News

The BBC goes inside the world's most dedicated effort to chart Taylor Swift's power and influence.

22 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, AFPImage caption, Scores of sequinned scholars are exploring Taylor Swift's impact at an academic conferenceBy Tiffanie Turnbullin MelbourneFrom the moment she slipped the Fearless record into her CD player as a 14-year-old, Georgia Carroll has been fascinated by Taylor Swift.

A decade and a half on, she's now touted as the only person in the world with a PhD on the superstar.

Her assessment? "At the moment, it wouldn't be going too far to say [Swift] is one of the most powerful people in the world."

That's why Dr Carroll is among scores of experts who have descended on Melbourne this week for an international academic symposium attempting to explain just how Swift has become so influential.

The event - the first of its kind - is a curtain raiser to the Eras Tour in Australia, and has attracted more than 400 submissions from dozens of study disciplines and academic institutions around the world - sparking a flurry of excitement and global headlines.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-68271324?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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