Chapters on postcolonial literature sought for edited printed volume

Jeremiah Garsha Announcement
Subject Fields
World History / Studies, Colonial and Post-Colonial History / Studies, Literature, South Asian History / Studies, Area Studies

Chapters are sought for an edited thematic volume on postcolonial literature (broadly defined). The volume is part of the Critical Insights series (http://www.salempress.com/critical_insights.html), with a targeted audience of North American High School students taking advanced placement courses and Sixth Form students preparing for A-Level examinations. As such, successful submissions will showcase approachable prose aimed at providing introductory foundations and argumentative reflections of postcolonialism and its literary movement.

4000-5000 word chapters are sought along, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Historical and cultural context chapters [essays addressing how the time period and local, regional, and world events may have influenced a particular author or published work; essays investigating changes over time or reception in various cultures while connecting an author or book’s relevance to contemporary audiences].

 

  • Comparative chapters [analysing two or more authors; a comparative analysis of a specific theme in and across two or three publications]

 

  • Critical reception chapters [surveys of major pieces of criticism toward colonial, decolonial, or postcolonial works]

 

  • Critical contexts or readings [close readings a postcolonial literary work from a critical standpoint; analysis of commonly studied aspects of a particular literary text]. Note: Proposals for this section of the book will make up the majority of selected chapters

 

Due to the broader definition of ‘postcolonialism’, second and third generation voices or literature that has grown out of the postcolonial tradition are also sought. Contributors are encouraged to think broadly and globally.

Chapters that explore the works of authors familiar to students (such as Man Booker winners or bestsellers) are will be given preferential status. Examples include: Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Rohinton Mistry, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Edward Said, Frantz Fanon, to name but a few. Reflections on colonial authors such as Rudyard Kipling, Henry Rider Haggard, etc. from a postcolonial perspective are also encouraged. Chapters that display cross-disciplinary potential and expand beyond printed text (such as reading the genre of postcolonialism into performance or film criticism) are welcome, as are persuasive proposals for authors and works overlooked by academia.

Interested authors should send abstract proposals of approximately 300-500 words, along with a brief biographical statement (~200 words) and/or CV to J.J. Garsha (jjg44@cam.ac.uk) by 15 July 2017 (extended deadline). Contributors will be paid an honorarium of $250.00 USD, or $125.00 USD per author for a coauthored work upon publication.

Unpublished graduate students or early career academics are particularly encouraged to submit proposals.

Apologies for cross-posting

Contact Information

J.J. Garsha, University of Cambridge

Contact Email
jjg44@cam.ac.uk