In this collaborative series, three digital environmental humanities platforms—NiCHE, Edge Effects, and Correspondences—seek short essays, multimedia pieces, and other forms of public writing that engage questions of representation and access in the environmental “commons.”

Environmental activists and scholars have recently renewed calls to reclaim the “commons.” But what should be common and for whom? In this cross-platform series, “Commons for Whom?,” NiCHE, Edge Effects, and Correspondences will collectively grapple with questions of representation and access in environmental and ecological contexts. We invite short, written and multimedia pieces that explore the communities imagined and produced through discussions about public space, “wilderness,” and “natural resources.”

We welcome submissions on topics that can include but are not limited to:

• Histories and experiences of reclaiming of the outdoors as common or public space
• The meaning and value of “access” in a settler colonial context
• Efforts and movements that make greenspaces more inclusive for people who have historically been excluded from them
• The role of boundary crossing in maintaining environmental knowledge commons, communicating across academic/public spaces, collaborating across disciplines, and negotiating (more-than-)human relations
• Art and imaginative cultural production that reimagine possibilities of communal living
• Feminist critiques of capitalism and the politics of the commons
• “Uncommonalities” and negotiations of what is or should be common

We’re looking to publish short essays between 1500-2000 words and multimedia pieces accompanied by brief (~250 word) introductions. Please note that our platforms aim to publish for interdisciplinary and public audiences. Accepted pieces will move through our editorial process with this in mind.

How to submit

• Pitches should be emailed to CommonsForWhom@gmail.com.
• In approximately 200-250 words, include the following in the body of your email:
  • A summary of the piece, including its format and argument;
  • A description of how you would make the topic and argument accessible both to familiar audiences and to those new to the topic.

Timeline

Review of submission pitches will begin Monday February 13, 2023; we will stop accepting new submissions after Tuesday February 28.  Accepted authors will be notified by Monday March 13.

This series will be published in early Summer 2023. Pieces may be published on any one of the three platforms—NiCHE's The Otter ~ La Loutre, Edge Effects, or Correspondences—at the discretion of the editorial team.

See here for more information: https://niche-canada.org/2023/02/01/cfp-commons-for-whom-a-collaborative...