Religion Call for Papers | @relcfp

CFP for Postcolonial Interventions (ISSN 2455-6564) Volume X, Issue 1, January 2025

deadline for submissions: 

November 30, 2024

full name / name of organization: 

Postcolonial Interventions: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Postcolonial Studies

contact email: 

postcolonialinterventions@gmail.com

Postcolonial Interventions (ISSN 2455-6564)

CFP for Vol. X, Issue 1 (January 2025)

Reviewing Diaspora: Dispersal, Dislocation, Diversities

The domain of diaspora has long been one of the major sites of postcolonial investigations. Scores of theorists and scholars have profusely written on the literary and cultural representations emanating out of the domain of diaspora and the various ramifications associated with it. However, in recent times, the domain of diaspora has undergone several shocks and convulsions owing to global socio-political phenomena which have often made the lives of migrants and diasporans particularly precarious, especially in the post 9-11 era. Consider for example such phenomena as the Trump Presidency or Brexit. Both events materialised owing to and further consolidated xenophobic, racist discourses, inevitably linked with imperial and colonial histories, which often manifested themselves through violent, discriminatory crimes of varying degrees, endangering the lives of subcontinental migrants and diasporans. The problem, of course is not limited to subcontinental diasporans only. The consolidation of xenophobic politics worldwide has led to diasporic communities suffering from unpredictable vicissitudes. In Canada, for example, the growth of Khalistani supporters, among Sikhs of subcontinental origins, the assassination of a prominent Khalistani leader and various cultural events targeting the Indian state or even Hindu migrants from India, have created startling fissures. Such fissures have also been exacerbated by the diplomatic rows between India and Canada and attendant problems related to visas, official permissions etc. One also has to take into consideration the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine as a result of which thousands have been rendered homeless and have had to migrate to other countries in search of safety. Many of Putin’s opponents have also settled in various states across Europe who decry both the war and the regime behind it. They have also contributed to new sites of diasporic dissent. On the other hand subcontinental students, studying in Ukrainian institutes have also faced discrimination and deprivations during these processes while certain other Indians have also been fraudulently lured into fighting and dying on behalf of the Russian army. The genocide being carried out by the state of Israel in Palestine has also led to worldwide protests involving Palestinian migrants and refugees, among others, creating new structures of solidarity. This has also led to institutional crackdowns, particularly against migrants, with some being forcibly deported due to their involvement in such protests. Interestingly, this particular war has also caused an influx of Indian labourers into Israel, replacing Palestinian labourers, creating new enclaves of diasporic settlement. Such settlements are of course heterogeneous in nature. What is also particularly interesting in this context is the way in which Indian communities in the United States responded to the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to the United States recently. While certain Pro-Hindutva associations and Sangh Parivar affiliates enthusiastically supported the visit of the Prime Minister, there were plenty of protests and critical hoardings and banners as well, showing the divided nature of the Indian diaspora with respect to politics and religion. Similarly one can think of the crisis faced by members of the Chinese diaspora, in countries like Australia, where the activities of Chinese intelligence networks has rendered members of the diaspora as unreliable in the eyes of other Australians while some Chinese Australians, especially dissidents, are even facing threats from the Chinese state apparatus.

The next issue of Postcolonial Interventions (January 2025) will focus on such issues and more, beyond the subcontinental confines, and examine the ways in which recent literary and cultural representations take such fissures and frictions into account.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Articles must be original and unpublished. Submission will imply that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere.
2. Written in Times New Roman 12, double spaced with 1” margin on all sides, in doc/docx format.
3. Between 4000-7000 words, inclusive of all citations.
4. With in-text citations and a Works Cited list complying with Chicago Manual of Style specifications.
5. A separate cover page should include the author’s name, designation, an abstract of 250 words with a maximum of 5 keywords and a short bio-note of 50 words.
6. The main article should not in any way contain the author’s name. Otherwise the article will not be considered.
7. Reviews also need to follow the aforementioned guidelines. However, word limit for reviews is 1500 words.
8. The contributors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce any material, including photographs and illustrations for which they do not hold copyright.

Please send your submissions to postcolonialinterventions@gmail.com by 30 November, 2024.