Public Humanities is an international open access, cross-disciplinary, peer reviewed journal at the intersection of humanities scholarship and public life. The journal invites submissions for the upcoming Themed Issue Public Humanities in Action, which will be Guest Edited by Ricardo L. Ortiz, Georgetown University. The deadline for submissions is 1 August 2024.
Description
Our special issue, Public Humanities in Action, invites contributions from individual practitioners, collaborative collectives, organizational leaders and teams, and folks at work on scholarly and other institutional academic projects (including new programs), that highlight the practical work of the public humanities in communities, in society, and as otherwise engaged in the world. We especially welcome case studies, creative art works, multi-modal project portfolios, and other non-traditional genres of dissemination, as well as more traditional genres such as articles, reports, position papers, and reflections.
The special issue hopes to strike a productive balance between curating a primary archive of Public Humanities work on as global a scale as possible, covering a selection of projects from a representative variety of geographic regions and social locations, and framing that archive with narrative, analytical, and contemplative work that might begin to demonstrate the shape and purpose of Public Humanities in its diversity, complexity, urgency, and promise as a movement.
Public Humanities in Action seeks to make active work in our field(s) visible to as wide and diverse a readership as possible, well beyond the traditional audience of an academic journal, but of course including those readers as well. We therefore encourage readers of this call to share it with your colleagues, contacts, and networks who might otherwise not see it.
Authors have the option to submit any of the following article types:
| Article type | Length | Abstract required | Description |
| Article | 6,000-8,000 words | Yes | Presents original research findings according to the typical research article format. |
| Roundtable | No more than 4,000 words | No | Considers the current ‘state of the field’, or reflects on seminal events or processes, or explores different methodological approaches or potential avenues for future research. Workshops or conferences often provide the initial stimulus for roundtables. |
| Reflection | 1,500-3,000 words | No | A space, outside of the conventional research article, where authors can offer personal perspectives on a topic or theme. |
| Case Study | 8,000 words | Yes | An article that provides an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case within a real-world context. |
| Position Papers & Rejoinder | No more than 4,000 words | No | An opinion-style paper that makes a clear intervention or articulates an original vision. Papers will typically publish in conversation with each other. |
| Review Article | 6,000-8,000 words | Yes | A discussion paper that reflects critically on a research topic or theme, rather than presenting original research. |
| Brief Report | 1,000-2,000 words | No | A report of empirical data related to the humanities and public life. |
| Policy Brief | 1,000-2,000 words | No | A brief, informed by humanities expertise, for authorities who hold power. |
Submissions should be written in accessible language for a wide readership across and beyond the humanities. Articles will be peer reviewed for both content and style. Articles will appear digitally and open access in the journal, which is published by Cambridge University Press.
All submissions should be made through the Public Humanities online peer review system. Author should consult the journal’s Author Instructions prior to submission.
All authors will be required to declare any funding and/or competing interests upon submission. See the journal’s Publishing Ethics guidelines for more information.
Questions can be sent to the Public Humanities inbox at