AmLit – American Literatures

Das Online-Journal AmLit – American Literatures, herausgegeben am Arbeitsbereich 'Amerikanistik II' der Universität Graz, bietet ein Publikationsforum für wissenschaftliche Essays aus der amerikanistischen, kanadistischen und lateinamerikanischen Literaturwissenschaft, die sich mit fiktionalen, non-fiktionalen und graphischen Texten befassen, bzw. für entsprechende Prosa- und Lyriktexte sowie Buchrezensionen. Das Alleinstellungsmerkmal der Journals ist die Fokussierung auf aktuelle Fragestellungen und Diskurse der Literaturwissenschaft, insbesondere hinsichtlich der Forschungsbereiche ›Digital Literatures & Cultures‹, ›Transnational & Border Studies‹ und ›Visualität & Trans-/Intermedialität‹.

We invite proposals from prospective guest editors interested in curating a special issue for AmLit – American Literatures, a Diamond Open Access journal dedicated to publishing cutting-edge scholarship on contemporary developments in American literatures. AmLit serves as a platform for both established and emerging scholars, fostering discussions on how literary texts from North, Central, and South America engage with and narrativize cultural shifts such as digitization, migration, globalization, trans- and interculturality, as well as visuality and intermediality.

We welcome proposals for special issues featuring five high-quality essays, alongside potential book reviews. Contributions should engage with fictional, non-fictional, and graphic texts within the fields of U.S. American, Canadian, and Latin American literary studies. The journal’s methodological orientation spans a broad spectrum of literary theories, including but not limited to:

• African American & Ethnic Studies
• Gender, Feminist & Queer Theory
• Marxist Theory
• New Historicism
• Postcolonial Studies
• Sociolinguistics
• Structuralism and Poststructuralism
• Visuality & Intermediality

Proposal Guidelines

We invite potential guest editors to submit a detailed proposal (400-500 words) outlining the thematic scope and scholarly significance of the special issue. Please also specify:

• The current stage of the volume’s development: Indicate whether contributions have already been secured (e.g., from a previous conference, workshop, or research network) or if a Call for Papers will be issued to solicit new essays.
• Submission format:
  o If proposing a fully developed special issue, please include a general abstract (400-500 words) and individual abstracts (250 words each) for all planned contributions, all in one document.
  o If submitting a new project, please provide an abstract of the issue along with a draft Call for Papers.

Potential Topics

We encourage submissions on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

• New Materialism & Material Studies
• Affect Studies
• Digital Studies
• Adaptation Studies & Generic Transformations
• Queer & Disability Studies – ‘Failure’
• Class & Poverty Studies
• (Post-)Nation, Home, and/or Migration
• Transnational & Transcultural Studies
• Graphic Narratives
• Critical Regionalism
• (Post-)Race Studies
• The New Right & Christianity Revisited

Submission Details

Please send your proposal along with:

• A CV and short bio of the guest editor(s)
• A list of potential contributors (if applicable)

Submissions should be sent to amlit-journal(at)uni-graz.at by Monday, April 14, 2025.

For more information, visit www.amlit.eu.

We look forward to your submissions!

The Editorial Team of AmLit – American Literatures