CFP Issue 2/2027 of Linguae & Journal of Modern Languages and Cultures https://journals.uniurb.it/index.php/linguae
In the twentieth century, the West represented a lifestyle, an economic model, a geopolitical entity1 and a cultural tradition, despite the many diversities among schools and movements. The propensity of the twentieth-century humanities to interrogate and criticise their former imperialist self by elaborating critical paradigms and interrogating century-old traditions chimed with critiques hailing from former colonies. This convergence, however, often enhanced by the prestige ensuing from Western capitals, has unwittingly protracted the hegemony of Western models imposed through colonialism and neocolonialism. Such models were paradoxically reinforced even by their critics, as many of them, like Gayatri Spivak, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Dipesh Chakrabarti, Walter Mignolo, have been based in the metropolitan West. Even when they were not, like Frantz Fanon, they often relied on Marxist or deconstructionist paradigms for their critique. Likewise, the emergence of postcolonial literature has often been accompanied by the endorsement of Western literary prizes (Man Booker, Prix Médicis étranger, Pulitzer, Nobel), which have periodically sanctioned local literature for a global readership. We invite scholars and researchers from various disciplines to submit proposals that engage with these complex and evolving dynamics.
Possible themes include, but are not limited to:
- Critical interventions in established literary canons and the rise of new literary centres. Does the postcolonial canon need revision?
- The exploration of alternative epistemologies and their influence on cultural production.
- The impact of new media and communication technologies on language and culture, especially when they are not based in the ‘global north’.
- The challenges and opportunities of “World Literature” as an heir to postcolonial literature in the 21st century.
- A defence of classical postcolonial studies against globalised humanities.
- What languages will convey the literatures of the future?
- Is there such a thing as a classical postcolonial canon of the 20th century?
- Will indigenous literature and art speak to the world regardless of traditional Western forms such as the novel?
- How can our curricula cater to a post-Western literary landscape?
Authors wishing to take part in this special issue are invited to submit full articles for double-blind peer review by 1st March 2027, directly to Linguae & at the following link: https://journals.uniurb.it/index.php/linguae/about/submissions
Submitted articles should also include an abstract of 120-150 words summarizing the main arguments and the conclusions, as well as five keywords. For further details we invite you to contact the guest editors Alessandro Vescovi (Università degli Studi di Milano, alessandro.vescovi@unimi.it), Federica Zullo (Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo, federica.zullo@uniurb.it) and Binayak Roy (University of North Bengal, binayakroyeng@nbu.ac.in).
Authors will receive notification of the eventual acceptance of their submitted articles, and the accepted articles will be published on Issue Number 2 of December 2027.