Janelle Vermaak-Griessel

Dr. Janelle Vermaak-Griessel is a senior lecturer and HoD in the Department of Media and Communication at the Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. Her primary research interests include fan studies, film studies and television studies. Dr Vermaak-Griessel is the co-editor of the book Gender and Female Villains in 20th Century Fairy Tale Narratives: From Evil Queens to Wicked Witches (2022), and co-editor of the upcoming book From Mainstream to Digital: South African Perspectives on Participatory Media Cultures. 
 
Research Interests
  • Fan Studies
  • Audience Studies
  • Film Studies
Modules
  • LMCV251
  • LMCV272
  • LMCV252
  • LMCV301
  • LMCV350
  • LMCV401
  • LMCV425

Journal Articles

  • Koen, D. & Vermaak, J. (2014) What’s real about David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001)? Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 3(2):129–137
  • Le Clue, N. & Vermaak, J. (2018) Perception is the fairest of them all: Online fan perception of Once Upon A Time’s Evil Queen. Communitas, 23 (2018), 207-219.
  • Vermaak, J. (2020) Horror Versus Terror in the Body Genre. CineAction! Issue 101: Horror and Plague. ISSN 2562-2528.

Book Chapters

  • Given Mutinta: Book  (An African perspective on environmental communcation - theory and pratice) accepted by Palgrave Mcmillan for publication. To be published in July 2025.  
  • Vermaak, J. & Wright, B. (2018) Designing a Digital Communication Strategy. In Pritchard, M & Sitto, K (Eds.), Connect: Writing for Online Audiences. Cape Town: Juta
  • Vermaak, J. (2019) Fans of the Alien Film Franchise: Creating a Fan-Specific Checklist. In Shail R. (Ed), Gender and Contemporary Horror in Comics, Games and Transmedia. West Yorkshire: Emerald Press.
  • Vermaak, J. & Le Clue, N. (2020) Miss Moneypenny and the Friend-Zone: The Indispensable and Sexually Unavailable 'Bond Girl'. In Gerrard, S. (Ed) Gender in James Bond. West Yorkshire: Emerald Press.
  • Vermaak-Griessel, J. (2022) “I named my daughter Ripley”: Self-Perception and Internal Hierarchies within the Alien fandom. In Connor, M. & Kies, B. (eds) Fandom, The Next Generation. Iowa: Iowa University Press.
  • Le Clue, N. & Vermaak-Griessel, J. (2022) A Rhetoric of Evil: The Clichéd Motif of the Evil Queen. In Le Clue, N. & Vermaak-Griessel, J. (eds) Gender and Female Villains in 21st Century Fairy Tale
  • Narratives: From Evil Queens to Wicked Witches. West Yorkshire: Emerald Press.
  • Vermaak-Griessel, J. (2022) “Poor Unfortunate Souls”: Fan Perception of Ursula the Sea Witch from Disney’s The Little Mermaid in (1989). In Le Clue, N. & Vermaak-Griessel, J. (eds) Gender and Female Villains in 21st Century Fairy Tale Narratives: From Evil Queens to Wicked Witches. West Yorkshire: Emerald Press.
  • Le Clue, N. & Vermaak-Griessel, J. (2023) Artificial Feminism: Fan reaction to the representation of Captain Marvel. In Gerrard, S. & Middlemost, R. (eds) Gender and Action Films: 2000 and Beyond – Transformations. West Yorkshire: Emerald Press.
  • Vermaak-Griessel, J & Le Clue, N. (2023) “X Files till I DIE”: Fan Memory from the X-Philes. In Rodgers, D. & Fenwick, J. (eds) The X-Files Companion. London: Bloomsbury Press.
Books
  • Le Clue, N. & Vermaak-Griessel, J. (2022) Gender and Female Villains in 21st Century Fairy Tale Narratives: From Evil Queens to Wicked Witches. West Yorkshire: Emerald Press.
  • Le Clue, N., Duncan, C. & Vermaak-Griessel, J. (2025) From Mainstream to Digital: South African Perspectives on Participatory Media Cultures. West Yorkshire: Emerald Press
 
Conferences
  • Research Methodology Conference (RMC 2024) Conference: Advancing Research Methods and Methodologies. Presented a paper on Theoretical framework. 21st to 21st September 2024. United Kingdom.
  • Vermaak, J. (2018) Fans of the Alien Film Franchise: Fan Gifting and Merchandise Collecting Practices Fan Studies Network North America Conference October 25-27 2018 (International Conference at DePaul University, Chicago)
    I presented a guest lecture (by invitation) to graduate students at DePaul University on 01 November 2018.
  • Vermaak, J. (2015) Fans of Film Franchises: The Online Alien Universe Fandom and Religion Conference 28th - 30th July 2015 (International Conference in Leicester, United Kingdom)
  • Koen, D. & Vermaak, J. (2013) What’s Real in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive? International Journal of Arts and Sciences 2013 (International Conference in Freiburg, Germany)
  • Vermaak, J. (2012) Representations of Misandry in Antichrist and The Wicker Man: An Exploration of Narrative Devices and Gender Discourses
  • IAMCR 2012 (International Conference in Durban)
  • Vermaak, J. (2010) Psychological predisposition, identity, power and media effects in the case of Morne Harmse
  • SACOMM 2010 (National Conference in Johannesburg)
  • Vermaak, J. (2008) Horror versus Terror in the Body Genre
  • SACOMM 2008 (National Conference in Pretoria)