Proposals for *NEW* Praxes Section
We are launching a new section of the journal, titled “Praxes,” that will serve as a venue for reflections on some of the most pressing questions of how we “do” American Studies in the world, including within higher ed institutions in a moment of contraction and crisis. Submissions should be brief (1000-2000 words), timely, and reflect on the grounded engagements of American Studies. Ideally, they should also have a longer “shelf life” than, say, a blog post, but they can take the form of a think piece, an interview, a syllabus, or something more creative as long as they reflect on American Studies as a site of not only theory but practice.
To submit for this new “Praxes” section please send a short proposal (no more than 250 words) to aq@nd.edu with the subject line “Praxes Proposal.” This proposal will then be reviewed by the editorial team, including the managing editors, editor, and associate editors. Once the proposal has been reviewed, we will be in touch with next steps and deadlines if your proposal is approved. The final piece of 1,000 - 2,000 words will also be reviewed by the editorial team prior to publication. Please direct any questions to aq@nd.edu.
Proposals for Special Issues and Forums
Topics for forums and special issues are selected by the Board of Managing Editors, and the Board welcomes proposals from ASA members. Forums and special issues should engage ongoing debates within American studies.
Forums are placed within regular issues and consist of short pieces by scholars, activists, artists, etc. on particular issues of current interest to American studies. They are compiled by a convener (or multiple co-conveners) who frames the questions, solicits contributors, and edits the contributors’ submissions. Unlike research articles in regular issues, essays in the forums do not go through external review. Once the convener(s) submit the entire text of the forum, including the convener(s)’s introduction, to the Board of Managing Editors, the Board will provide feedback and suggestions for revision to both the convener(s) and individual contributors, and the Editor approves the final text. The entire forum is typically 20,000 words maximum.
Special issues on themes of broad interest to American studies scholars are published every September and are compiled by guest editors. In consultation with the Board of Managing Editors, the guest editors compose the Call for Papers which is circulated among the ASA membership and the larger scholarly community. Special issues consist of a set of peer-reviewed research articles and other forms of text as determined appropriate by the guest editors (such as a forum, book reviews, event reviews, and digital projects reviews). The guest editors oversee the review and editorial process for the entire issue, and the compiled content is reviewed by the Board of Managing Editors for approval. The guest editors also contribute content to the journal’s “Beyond the Page” and encourage the authors to do so as well.
To submit a proposal, please include an approximately 500-word overview of the proposed theme, including specific topics, issues, and questions to be explored, and a list of potential contributors. Please e-mail your proposal to aq@nd.edu with subject line: “AQ Forum Proposal” or “AQ Special Issue Proposal.” Forum proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis. Special issue proposals should be submitted by September 1 of every year (approved special issues will be published two years later). Inquiries about the editorial process for forums and special issues can be directed to the Editor at the same e-mail address.