Issue 2.2 (Summer 2012) 'Literary Violence'
Inquire invites article submissions that consider the relationship between literature and violence.
The representation of violence in literature is commonplace and complex, occurring by various means (e.g., physical, psychological), in many forms, across all literary traditions, past and present. Literature can expose, challenge or oppose violent conditions, yet literature can also fall victim to violence, arising from internal (e.g., institutional) or external (e.g., political, economic) forces.
In focussing this issue on violence (understood broadly as the exercise or exhibition of force, including any act of oppression, intimidation or unwanted control by individuals or groups, for whatever purpose), Inquire seeks to provide a forum for the investigation of tensions - private and public, regional and global - that speak to the cultural and historical production of identity and community.
The following lines of inquiry are of particular interest:
1) Literary representations of or responses to violence. Topics might include: war, protest, revolution, control, submission, sex, gender, class, the home, the nation, surveillance, justice, the law, the environment, &c.
2) The production and reception of literature as damaged or adversely affected by the imposition of norms, social expectations, economic policy, technological change or government censorship by way of copyright, book burning, legal restrictions, the persecution, imprisonment or exile of authors, &c.
3) Clashes between literary representation and fields of cultural production.
4) Critical and theoretical approaches to literature and violence, including confrontations between centre and periphery, linguistic systems, genres, paradigms, &c.
Inquire encourages interdisciplinary and comparative research that emphasizes downmarket forms, lesser-known authors and marginalized literatures.
Submission deadline: CLOSED
Submission Guidelines
Inquire accepts article submissions by graduate students relevant to the current call for papers. All submissions must meet the following guidelines: original work not submitted elsewhere, complete articles in English, 5-7,000 words (including works cited list and endnotes), MLA formatting, 12-pt Times New Roman, double-spaced. Please include a separate cover sheet with name, institutional affiliation, email, an abstract (max 150 words) and a short biography (max 60 words). Send inquiries and submissions to inquire@ualberta.ca.
Peer Review
Inquire responds to all inquiries and acknowledges all submissions within two weeks. Submissions accepted for review are read anonymously by two peer reviewers. The author receives two reviews, additional comments from the editor and an editorial decision. Inquire provides respectful, informed and constructive feedback to all authors regardless of the editorial decision. The review process begins immediately following the submission deadline and takes ~4-8 weeks. Publication follows approximately four months after the call for papers deadline. If you are interested in joining Inquire as a reader, write to inquire@ualberta.ca.
