Arab Studies Journal Call for Submissions
Spring 2015 Themed Issue
Deadline: April 1^st 2014

Archival Uprisings

In recent decades there has been a significant shift in scholarly approaches to and understandings of the “archive,” from the archive as a privileged source to be mined and excavated, to a subject of study in and of itself. This “archival turn” has seen researchers strive to read both against and along the grain of the archive’s holdings. Such a turn has perhaps had the most resonance with researchers attempting the writing of histories heavily reliant on colonial record keeping and documentation.

Within the field of Middle Eastern studies, there has been a steadily growing body of scholarship, from a wide range of disciplines, that attends to the nature, structure, texture, and governing logic of the archives, both colonial and postcolonial. Moreover, in the face of an oft-limited access to material or the absence of certain institutional structures and resources, researchers have increasingly explored alternatives to the traditional archives. At the same time, new digital technologies and practices have changed the form, the content, and the pace of archiving. Similarly, a preoccupation with the archival has been a recurring theme in cultural production from the region, with writers and artists often producing their own body of records—at times fictitious, at times real—so as to contest state-produced narratives or their glaring silences. Most recently, in the awake of the Arab uprisings, academics, activists, techies, and artists have established innovative archival projects, motivated by an acute awareness of the need to document the fast-changing events in the region and of the importance of “the record” for producing narratives and counternarratives.

For its Spring 2015 themed issued, the Arab Studies Journal calls for submissions focusing on the area encompassing the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, and Israel, from the seventh century to the present, that engage with and interrogate the production, evolution, operation, and dissemination of archives. Articles and reviews on communities or politics in other regions of the world that had or have strong Middle Eastern ties or contexts, or on relations between those regions and the Middle East, are strongly encouraged. Submissions may fall within the disciplines of history, anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, literature, art and architecture, religion, and law.

Previously unpublished papers submitted to the Journal usually range between 10,000 and 15,000 words, including endnotes. The Journal conforms to the Chicago Manual of Style. For additional style requirements, please visit the Submissions section ofwww.arabstudiesjournal.org.

All submissions must include the author’s name, institutional affiliation, address, telephone, and email address. Articles should be emailed toArticles@ArabStudiesJournal.org and reviews should be emailed toReviews@ArabStudiesJournal.org.

Hard copies of manuscripts may be mailed to

Arab Studies Journal 
CCAS, ICC 241 
Georgetown University 
Washington, DC, 20057

The Arab Studies Journalis a peer-reviewed, independent, multidisciplinary forum in the field of Arab and Middle Eastern studies. The Journal is published by the Arab Studies Institute. It maintains no editorial position on issues. Papers will be evaluated on their scholarly probity and not on their theses.