Call for Papers FRAME 34.1, “Literature and Activism”

According to Rita Felski in Uses of Literature (2008), “[t]hat works of art cannot topple banks and bureaucracies, museums and markets, does not mean, according to the theoretical back-flip demanded by an absolutist logic, that they are therefore doomed to be impotent and inert, stripped of all power to challenge perception or shake up the psyche” (109). The power of literature and other art forms can seem subtle and even be questioned altogether due to the intimate relationship between a reader and a text—literary or otherwise—but it can also be decisive for eliciting new dispositions that fight to disrupt the status quo. By showcasing societal change or its imperative need, art can be a powerful site for moving the masses. 

The next issue of FRAME will focus on the topic of “Literature and Activism.” We invite scholars of literature and related fields to consider the mutual influence that artistic texts and activism can have on each other. How has art, and particularly literature, intersected with activism? How has literary critique been a tool for societal change? And in which ways has activism through art and literature been limited by opposing forces? Themes and topics related to these questions might include (but are not limited to):

• Art and literature as a space for protest

• Literature and the remembrance of activism

• Activists, egodocuments, and other life stories

• Literature and censorship

• Literary (re)presentations and societal empowerment of minoritarian communities (BLM, indigenous peoples, LBGTQ+, climate activists, feminist voices) 

• Stories of migration, colonialism, and refugees that broaden and resist dominant narratives

• Literary responses to industrialization, capitalism, globalization

• Protesting the literary industry

• Imagining (the lack of) activism in utopian and dystopian stories

• Literature and social coalition

• Cultural theories, academia and social movements

The questions and concerns presented are only a few of the many themes that could be included in the upcoming issue. If you are interested in writing for FRAME, please submit a brief proposal of 250 words before November 30. The deadline for the submission of the full article is February 22. An article for the journal has a word limit of 5400 words, including bibliography and footnotes. For our Masterclass section, graduate students are invited to write up to a maximum of 3500 words. Please feel free to contact us at info@frameliteraryjournal.com, should you have any questions. More info can be found on our website: tijdschriftframe.nl/  

Felski, Rita. Uses of Literature. Blackwell Publishing, 2008.