The art of calligraphy, with its elegance, precision and expressive power holds a celebrated place among the arts of China, Japan and the Middle East, and is much studied as a result. Western calligraphy using the Roman-script, by contrast, is relatively neglected within academia.

However, given current interest in both drawing research and grapho-linguistics – the study of writing systems – the time is ripe to explore the fascinating intersection of visual art and written language with a scholarly volume on Western calligraphy studies, broadly defined.

To this end, we invite chapter proposals from scholars, researchers and experienced practitioners alike, in order to establish and define the field of Western calligraphy studies, from the early 20th century to the present. Contributions are welcomed from a wide range of scholarly disciplines: art theory, art history, literature, cultural studies, and beyond.

Potential topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Aesthetics: Analysis of calligraphic form. Contemporary calligraphy performance. Word-image relationships.
• Cross-cultural influences. Studies of significant calligraphers or works. Abstract / asemic calligraphy. Gestural aspects of writing.
• Education: Best practice in calligraphy teaching. Pedagogical case studies. Online learning. Criterion used for the assessment of calligraphy. Relationship to penmanship.
• Materials and technology: Traditional and non-traditional tools and materials. Inter-disciplinary work: letter carving, text art and book arts. Calligraphy–typography relationships. The digitisation of scripts. Digital calligraphy. Experimental work.
• History, social use and meaning: Social prestige and value: art / craft. Religious aspects: sacred texts, rituals. Historical development of scripts. Modern contexts: tattoos, graffiti. Semiotics of calligraphy in advertising etc. Relationships to literature, poetry etc. Socio-economic contexts and relations to identity: gender, ethnicity, class.

Final chapters should be 5000-8000 words and scholarly in nature but accessibly written for an interested readership too. They need not be previously unpublished research but could be a summary of a position or issue, case study, or an in-depth introduction to a topic. Co-authorship is encouraged. 

Potential authors are invited to submit by 31st October 2024:

1. A chapter proposal of approx. 500 words, clearly explaining the concerns of the proposed essay and ideally including an indication of the major sources to be cited.
2. An author biography of 100-200 words.

We will host an online conference in June 2025 for authors to share ideas, knowledge, and garner feedback.

Timeline:

31 Oct 2024: Deadline for chapter abstracts and author biographies
30 Nov 2024: Authors informed of editors’ decision
June 2025: Online conference; book chapter drafts due
30 Sept 2025: Final chapters due from authors
30 Dec 2025: Final editing, proof reading and image rights completed 

Please email proposal and biography to both rolandhpb@gmail.com and jdhomrighausen@gmail.com with “Calligraphy Studies Volume” as email subject, and “author surname CSV proposal” and “author surname CSV biography” as file names.

Dr. Roland Buckingham-Hsiao, WenZhou Business College, China

Dr. Joanna Homrighausen, College of William & Mary, USA.