Ecology and the Human Being in German Literature and Other Media (planned, 2026)

Book Series: Interdisciplinary Studies on German Philology

About the Series

The book series Interdisciplinary Studies on German Philology, published by Istanbul University Press, is dedicated to interdisciplinary research in German literary and cultural studies. It brings together approaches from literary studies, cultural studies, media studies, philosophy, history, and related disciplines, with the aim of rethinking German philology in dialogue with contemporary theoretical and societal debates.

Published and forthcoming volumes include:

• Volume I: Utopia and Dystopia in German Literature, Film, and Television (published)
• Volume II: Austrian Art, Culture and Literature of the 20th and 21st Century (in publication)
• Volume III: Human-Animal Studies and Literary Animal Studies in German Narratives (planned, 2026)
• Volume IV: Ecology and the Human Being in German Literature and Other Media (planned, 2026)

Aim and Scope

This volume explores the relationship between ecology and the human being as it is articulated in German literature and other media. In the context of climate change, environmental crises, and global ecological transformation, cultural texts increasingly negotiate questions of human responsibility, vulnerability, agency, and coexistence within ecological systems.

The volume brings together contributions that examine how German-language literature and media reflect, problematize, and reimagine the position of the human within nature and ecological networks. Particular attention is given to representations of embodiment, ethics, subjectivity, and social order under ecological conditions. In addition to literary texts, the volume explicitly welcomes analyses of film, television, visual culture, and other media formats.

Topics of Interest

We invite original contributions on topics including, but not limited to:

• Concepts of the human being in ecological and environmental contexts
• Human vulnerability, embodiment, and responsibility in ecological narratives
• Climate change and ecological crisis as challenges to human self-understanding
• Nature, landscape, and ecological imagination in German literature
• Human–non-human relations and post-anthropocentric perspectives
• Ecological ethics and moral responsibility in cultural texts
• Ecology, memory, and historical accountability
• Ecological dimensions of migration, displacement, and global inequality
• Ecological perspectives in German film, television, and visual media
• Comparative and transnational approaches to ecology and the human

Submission Guidelines

• Abstract length: 300–500 words
• Format: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 spacing
• Submission content:
  • Title of the contribution
  • Abstract
  • Author affiliation
  • ORCID number

Deadlines:

• Abstract submission deadline: 15.2.2026
• Notification of acceptance: March 2026
• Full-text submission deadline: 15.4.2026
• Planned publication: 2026

There are no publication fees.

The volume will be published open access by Istanbul University Press, ensuring free and permanent accessibility of all contributions.

Submission and Contact

Please send your abstract and author information to:

habib.tekin@marmara.edu.tr
irem.atasoy@istanbul.edu.tr