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Call for Papers: NANO: New American Notes Online: An Academic Journal for Big Ideas in a Small World

Issue 4

New Deadline: 26 April 2013

Special Theme: Competition

Last July, the world witnessed Olympic athletes perform at their limits for personal and national glory. But, London restaurants also competed for customers. Journalists from around the globe vied for the best story. Fans, too, formed an important part of Olympic competition, even if they were thousands of miles away from the physical action. Fans may not have competed on the track, but fans did compete against the fans of opposing teams.

Why do we feel compelled to compete, to watch competitions, and to pick sides?

Even if NANO invokes the royal “we” to describe who witnessed this competitive macro event, we do so in light of its scale and scope: 200 nations will send representatives to the XXX Olympiad.
Competition is old and vast. Some even argue that it is innate. People compete for housing, jobs, mates, political office, airtime, downtime, the biggest toys, the newest ideas, and the right sneakers. This special issue of NANO seeks submissions on competition writ large.

Three question tracks:

1. Are we competitive because we are animals, or, do we become animals through competition?
2. What do people compete for, and how do they go about it? Is competition cruel, sublime, or something in between?
3. What is new in competition theory? What new competitions are out there? What are the counter-narratives to competition narratives?
A partial list of possible categories/topics:

Business: stock markets, markets, jobs, ethics, globalization, protectionism

Economics: capitalism, Marxism, socialism, oligopoly, monopoly, other systems

Education: getting into college, testing, grades, scholarships, awards, grants

Games: gambling, casinos, cards, board games, schoolyard/informal play

Politics: presidential races, primaries, polls, long shots, running mates, the democratic process, democracy, monarchy

Science: competition theory, game theory, evolution, survival of the fittest, biology, mating

Sports: team, individual, popular, unpopular, dangerous, violent, official, unofficial

Sporting Events: Olympics, Tour de France, World Cup, Super Bowl, World Series

Send queries or completed notes to editor.nanocrit@gmail.com or sscanlan@citytech.cuny.edu

www.nanocrit.com