“Global Exchanges”

In Summer 2021, ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830 published a series of reflections on the pandemic. In her contribution, Karen Griscom (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) described how WSG’s Zoom meetings had been a lifeline, helping her to ‘remain optimistic about my scholarship’. The WSG’s forced transition from London-based seminars to an online global platform generated many benefits, allowing us to widen participation from our members based in the US, mainland Europe and New Zealand. Our new book project is inspired by the conversations we have enjoyed with our international community.

We are seeking contributions to a collection of essays on the theme of global exchanges. Papers will explore the international connections made by women during our period of study (1558–1837). While there has been a great deal of recent interest in women’s travel and their travel writing, the scope of this collection is intended to be much broader and embrace all types of exchange, including for example, ‘travel of the mind’, material culture, music, or writings that engage with the wider world.  

Submissions may address any of the following questions or related themes:

• What types of exchange have been made by women travellers in their journeys around the globe, and what role has gender played in facilitating these connections and interactions?
• How have women enabled the transfer of ideas – artistic, literary, philosophical, political or scientific – from one geographical region to another?
• How have women embraced, interpreted or influenced the art and culture of different territories, and what was the effect of this exchange?
• In what ways were women nourished and supported by international friendships, networks and correspondence?
• To what extent did women translators innovate, or develop their own literary voice, in the process of translation?
• What relationships were forged with material objects from overseas, and what do these connections tell us about how women saw the world and their place within it?

Submissions will be invited in two formats (please specify your chosen format in your proposal):

• Full essays (approximately 7,000 words including references)
• One-page picture ‘postcards’ incorporating a short reflection on an object, image, or piece of music or writing (approximately 400 words, plus an image).

Contributions should feature strong case studies and may cover any topic relating to women’s and gender studies. This call for papers is open to all sections of our membership* and we aim to build a diverse and inclusive collection. The book will be pitched to an academic press.

Timeline:

1. Abstracts to be submitted by 1 January 2022 (400-word abstracts for essays or a brief 100-word description for ‘postcards’).
2. Editors to respond to all submissions by end January 2022.
3. Accepted papers/’postcards’ to be submitted by 31 August 2022.

All queries and abstracts to be sent to both Louise Duckling (louise@philipmarksav.co.uk) and Brianna Kirkland-Robertson (B.RKirkland@rcs.ac.uk).

* The WSG is open to men, women and non-binary people, students, faculty and independent scholars. We are trans-inclusive.