This issue of the Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies seeks to explore the political, social, and cultural significations of "evil" (and its corollary: the "good") via a critical analysis of the fluid, mutable figure of the "villain," aiming to examine its construction and its existence in the world.

A few possible perspectives for the study of the villain are:
The villain as the "natural" being
The villain as the sacrificial other
The villain as a figure that defies representation
The villain as hero
The villain as non-existent
The villain as a personification of evil
The villain as Doppelganger

Diverse approaches to this topic are welcomed and actively encouraged. Possible lenses through which to view the "villain" include, but are not limited to, cultural, film and literary studies, political theory, law and legal theory, studies of colonialism and nationalism, post-humanism, religious studies, economics, visual arts, communication and media studies, and popular culture. We invite submissions from critical and ethnographic scholars across all disciplines.

Please submit two (2) printed copies and one by email by May 6, 2011 to the

Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies,
English Department,
308 English-Philosophy Building,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

Contact ijcs@uiowa.edu with any questions or to send submissions.

We prefer essays no longer than 9,000 words, MLA format. Please keep discursive endnotes to a minimum.

The Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies is a peer-reviewed publication edited by graduate students that mixes traditional approaches and contemporary interventions in the interdisciplinary humanities and interpretive social sciences.

Visit the website at http://www.uiowa.edu/~ijcs/