Call for Papers: Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, Volume 35
Special Section: Visual Analysis of Social Movements
To be considered for inclusion in Volume 35, papers should arrive by February 1, 2012.
Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change (RSMCC), a peer-reviewed volume published by Emerald Group Publishing/JAI Press, encourages submissions for Volume 35 of the series. This volume will have both thematic and open-submission sections and will be guest edited by Nicole Doerr (University of California, Irvine) Alice Mattoni (University of Pittsburgh) and Simon Teune (Social Science Research Center Berlin). For the open-submission/non-thematic section, submissions appropriate to any of the three broad foci reflected in the RSMCC series title will be considered. The thematic session is dedicated to the visual analysis of social movements. We encourage submissions that address the subject on one of three levels:
First, visual analysis refers to a category of expressions of social movements. Social movement research is too focused on texts: interviews and surveys, documents and manifestos, newspaper coverage, laws and official reports. The rich visual language developed in social movements is neglected in most studies, even though posters and banners, photos and videos, gestures and outfits, symbols and images carry important messages.
Second, social movements are perceived to a large extent on the basis of visual representations. Mass media are more likely to report about movement events when they produce strong images. However, protest groups have a very limited influence on the images linked to them. A stereotypical visual representation of protest is the rule rather than the exception. Protests are not perceived as what they are but what they look like in press photos and TV news images.
Third, the visual analysis of social movements and protest comprises the analytical question of visibility and exclusion in societies. Protestors do not all have the same chances of being seen by audiences. While some claims are obvious for large parts of the society, others are filtered out by hegemonic routines. Protesters who articulate their goals without using imagery that is familiar, expected and compatible with the mainstream experience are likely to be marginalized. Attaining visibility through counter-hegemonic images that recall, but at the same time subvert, hegemonic discourses is a major challenge for social movement actors and, in particular, for discriminated groups who have different experiences than the majority.
Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change is a fully peer-reviewed series of original research that has been published annually for over 30 years. We continue to publish the work of many of the leading scholars in social movements, social change, and peace and conflict studies. Although RSMCC enjoys a wide library subscription base for the book versions, all volumes are now published both in book form and are also available online to subscribing libraries through Emerald Insight. This ensures wider distribution and easier online access to your scholarship while maintaining the esteemed book series at the same time.
Send submissions as a Word document attached to an email to Nicole Doerr, Alice Mattoni and Simon Teune, guest RSMCC editors for Volume 35, at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. Remove all self-references (in text and in bibliography) save for on the title page, which should include full contact information for all authors. Include the paper’s title and the abstract on the first page of the text itself. For initial submissions, any standard social science in-text citation and bibliographic system is acceptable. RSMCC boasts quick turn-around times, generally communicating peer reviewed-informed decisions within 8-10 weeks of receipt of submissions.