Call for Papers: Special edition of Symbiosis: A Journal of Transatlantic Literary and Cultural Relations on the ‘Irish Transatlantic: Act of Union (1800) to the Present Day’
The Autumn 2015 issue of Symbiosis: A Journal of Transatlantic Literary and Cultural Relations will take as its focus the literary and cultural exchange between Ireland and the Americas from the Act of Union (1800) to the present day. We seek to provide a window onto the expansive and multifarious nature of Irish transatlantic studies, publishing a range of articles which illustrate the depth and breadth of contemporary scholarship in this area. Despite the unquestionable historical, material and political connections between these two geographical locations, the Irish dimension to transatlantic studies is often overlooked. Burgeoning interest in transatlantic studies has led to the publication of innovative book series on the topic; while this is an exciting move in scholarship, the number of texts that display sustained engagement with Irish transatlantic concerns is surprisingly low. Similarly, although the historiography of the Irish diaspora is a rich field, transatlantic Irish literary and cultural studies is an uneven area of inquiry; notably, while the Famine years have received plentiful commentary, there is a dearth of scholarship considering the decades preceding this.
We hope to touch upon emergent areas of enquiry, such as spatial mappings of Atlantic geography attendant to the richly rhizomatic nature of transatlantic exchange; examinations of Irish-American ethnic identity informed by critical race studies; and the impact of digital humanities on the field at large. The editors’ research interests lie in early nineteenth century and contemporary literary culture so they would be particularly receptive to articles investigating transatlantic exchange within these periods.
Potential topics may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Methodologies and/or mappings for Irish transatlantic study
- Transatlantic applications of (post)colonial theory
- Gender across Atlantic space
- Religion and spiritual practices
- Transatlantic intersectionality
- The role and function of literary form
- Effects of the Act of Union on the publishing trade
- Transatlantic circulations and critical receptions of texts
- Exchange of correspondence and letters
- Areas of consonance and dissonance between cross-currents of diasporic and migrant experience
- Northern Irish exchange with North America
- Replication and development of local and/or regional Irish identities after migration
- The Big House in literary and cultural imagination(s)
- Transatlantic medical humanities
- Cultural performance, theatre and performing arts (particularly music and dance)
- Contemporary constructions of Irish-American identity in popular culture
- Critical race studies and ‘white innocence’
- Irish folklore and Celtic mythology within North America
We are seeking articles of between 5,000 and 7,000 words in length (inclusive of notes and bibliographic material), written in accordance with MLA style. Deadline for submissions: 31st December 2014; submissions should be sent to muireann.crowley@ed.ac.uk and a.c.garden@sms.ed.ac.uk.