USAbroad Deadline Extended – Call for Proposals – Social Change and Political Representation in the Long Cycles of American History

Alberto Benvenuti Announcement
Subject Fields
American History / Studies, Atlantic History / Studies, Political History / Studies, Social History / Studies

The fifth issue of USAbroad invites to reflect on the “long cycles” of American history from a broad historical perspective. We are interested in analyses that detail the historical reasons and actors that drove change in political cycles across time; explorations of the social, cultural and economic features of, and transformations along, one or more phases of U.S. history; research that focus on presidential policy and shifts in political and scientific culture in the progressive and conservative spheres; critiques and counter-narratives to the “cycle” thesis in American political history.

Contributions may include but are not limited to:

  • Theoretical perspectives on political orders, party-system and party realignments in the United States
  • Social and economic, racial and gender perspectives on American political history
  • Immigration, race and party representation in the United States
  • The role and agendas of American Presidents in creating, restructuring or affirming political and social realignments
  • Regional shifts in party coalitions and local case-studies
  • Social and Political activism and party coalitions
  • Ideology, political and scientific culture and party realignments
  • International Relations, external shocks and economic and political change
  • Transnational and comparative perspectives on “cycles” in political history
  • Critiques and counternarratives to the “cycle” thesis

Applicants are asked to submit an abstract of approximately 500 words, along with a résumé including their main publications, by May 10, 2021. Please send your proposal by email to: usabroad@unibo.it Applicants will be notified regarding the status of the submission by May 20, 2021. The selection of abstracts will be based on a range of criteria including: scientific originality (how does the proposed paper differs from existing literature in the field), use of primary sources (on what sources is the paper based) and adherence to the themes of the call for papers. Abstracts that do not clearly address these three criteria will not be considered for publication. Please note that a final version of the accepted essay must be submitted by August 23, 2021.

Contact Information

USAbroad – Journal of American History and Politics is the first Italian academic journal published annually by an Editorial Board of early-career scholars and entirely dedicated to the study of U.S. history and politics. Founded with the support of CISPEA (Inter-university Consortium for the Study of Euro-American History and Politics) and the U.S. Embassy in Rome, the journal sets out to offer the occasion to postgraduates and early career Italian and international scholars to publish innovative and ground-breaking academic research that investigates any aspects of U.S. history and politics: social, economic and intellectual developments, relations of gender, race and class, foreign policy, international relations, history of policies and institutions. The journal pays particular attention to recent historiographical trends, in particular global, transatlantic and Atlantic history, and to multidisciplinary approaches which successfully intermingle history with social and political sciences. USAbroad publishes in English language. A double-blind peer-reviewed journal, USAbroad’s aim is to select and publish exclusively independent and top-quality scientific production.

USAbroad originates from the experience of the website www.ceraunavoltalamerica.it, a project started by a group of alumni of the CISPEA Summer School. Since 2010, the website, moving from the idea that history should be committed in the public sphere, has published a wealth of material on the public life and the political history of the United States, such as analyses on U.S. politics from an historical perspective; original interviews to scholars and political activists; reviews of books, conferences and films; and regular newsletters on the content of the CISPEA Summer Schools.

By publishing world-leading research, USAbroad sets out to favor the professionalization and growth of a new generation of Italian scholars of American history and politics while at the same time opening opportunities to develop a fruitful platform for academic and scientific exchanges with early-career scholars of U.S. History based in Europe.

Contact Email
usabroad@unibo.it