Call for Papers

Critical Half

Fall 2008: Global Women’s Movements in Changing Societies

Overview

Topic Suggestions & Article Possibilities

Submission Guidelines

Contact Information

Previous Editions of Critical Half

Call for Papers in PDF format

CALL FOR PAPERS

Deadline for Submissions: June 16, 2008

Women for Women International, a non-profit humanitarian organization,

seeks submissions for the Fall 2008 issue of its bi-annual academic journal, Critical Half .

This issue will focus on global women’s movements and women’s movements globally in various contexts, including politics, women’s rights, social change, religion, and economic endeavors. Women’s movements may be global in their organization or effects, as in the international feminist movement, or they may be global in their concerns but local or ‘grassroots’ in their organization and immediate impact. Papers might consider the genesis and logistics of women’s movements; the underlying ideological concerns which give rise to and sustain, or counteract, these movements; or the interaction of women’s movements with local, regional, and global organizations, such as religious groups, political parties, or local or international local women’s groups.

Papers which address issues of women’s movements in conflict and post-conflict societies, developing countries, and trans-national contexts are particularly encouraged.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

TOPIC SUGGESTIONS & ARTICLE POSSIBILITIES

· What constitutes a “global” women’s movement? Need it be truly global, encompassing organized groups of women in wealthy industrial societies as well as in rural, impoverished, or conflict-ridden countries? What issues can (and do) unite women internationally across boundaries of race, religion, politics, wealth, or culture?

· Is it possible to think of local or grassroots groups in global terms, even when these organizations do not necessarily define themselves in this way? Are there certain concerns, structures, or approaches which recur across such localized groups? What is gained or lost in the analysis of such smaller efforts in a global context?

· How are women’s groups organized in areas with traditional or patriarchal views of women and their role in society? What issues do they focus on, and how do they differ from women’s groups in more liberal societies? How are these groups organized, and how do they create a place for themselves within the culture from which they emerge?

· How do women’s movements interact with existing religious and political structures? Can they be organized from within such entities, or do they necessarily exist outside of previous societal constructs? Do they strive to integrate themselves more closely with the broader culture, or do they rely on their ‘differentness’ as a rationale or point of entry into society?

· As women’s movements grow and spread beyond the geographical bounds of their origination, what tensions and accommodations develop within their ideals, goals, and overall structure? Do these mirror the problems and changes encountered by other geographically-diverse movements, or are there considerations and concerns which are unique to women’s movements?

· In cultures with strict religious and political hierarchies, in which women often occupy a subordinate position, how do women’s groups tend to structure themselves internally? Do they observe distinct divisions and assignments of power in ways which echo the predominant ethos of their society, or do they tend toward a more democratic or egalitarian organization? Do these initial organizational approaches persevere over time, or do they shift toward certain models? How are such issues of structure and organization incorporated into the original focus or concern which originated the group or movement, and how do they affect efforts at reform or amelioration of difficult conditions?

These are only a few of the many directions which an article on the topic of “Global Women’s Movements in Changing Societies” might take.

They should not be regarded as definitive or exclusive. If you have questions about a particular idea or focus which you are considering,

please feel free to contact Critical Half.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Word Limit

2,000-2,500 words of in-depth, referenced analysis.

Format

All articles should be submitted in their final form and should conform to the following guidelines:

Submissions must be typewritten on one side of the paper only, double-spaced with 1-inch margins, and numbered pages.
Titles and subheadings should be succinct. Women for Women International reserves the right to alter titles and subheadings in consultation with the author.
Tables and figures should be avoided wherever possible. If absolutely necessary, they should be printed on separate pages and numbered in the order in which they are referred to in the text, e.g., (Table 1) (Figure 1). The author must supply a camera-ready copy.
Block indent any quotations of more than 50 words. Other quotations should be inside double quotation marks. Use square brackets [ ] to indicate matter inserted into a quotation, and a space followed by three periods and a space to indicate matter omitted. Please indicate where emphasis is added in any quotation.
An acronym used repeatedly should be cited in its entirety along with the abbreviation in parentheses on first reference, e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All subsequent citations should use only the abbreviation.
For other format issues, please conform to The Chicago Manual of Style.

Language

American spelling forms should be used, and authors are responsible for consistency in hyphenating words, abbreviations, and the use of capital letters. Bold and italicized words in the text are discouraged. Articles must be written in non-sexist and non-racist language.
Authors should use a clear, accessible style, free from specialized jargon, in order to reach the widest audience possible. Experts and academics referred to in the text should be identified, e.g., “Political economist Safiétou Faye believes,” rather than “Safiétou Faye believes.”

References

The journal uses endnotes rather than footnotes. Citations listed more than once should use the short form for subsequent listings.
Place the endnote number at the end of the sentence in which it appears, except when the reference falls within a bracket.
Assign a separate number to each endnote throughout the text, even when referring back to a previously cited source.
The first endnote should include any acknowledgements of grant support, substantial assistance, etc.
Bibliographies should only list works directly cited in the endnotes. Lists of general works consulted cannot be published.

Copyright

The journal will consider articles submitted for publication with the understanding that they have not been published or accepted for publication elsewhere. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of quotations and references and for obtaining permission where needed to cite or republish another author’s material. Such use must be clearly noted and acknowledged.
Once an article has been accepted for publication, it becomes the property of Women for Women International and may not be reproduced or published elsewhere by third parties without written permission from Women for Women International. Authors retain the right to reuse any portion of the work, without fee, in their future works, including books, articles, lectures and presentations in all media, with appropriate citation. In accordance with the 1978 U.S. copyright law, all authors submitting articles to the journal must sign a copyright transfer agreement.

Journal Copies

Each author will be mailed two copies of the issue in which the article appears. Authors should contact Women for Women International if additional copies are needed.

Submission

Submissions should be sent by e-mail as an attachment, preferably in MS Word for Windows.
In addition to the article, authors must provide a detachable title page that includes the title and author(s), a 200-word abstract of the article, a 50-word biographical profile of the author(s) that includes titles, degrees, academic and professional affiliations, and correspondence information (address, telephone, e-mail, and fax) for the author(s).
All submitted articles are subject to peer editorial review and revision; those that are accepted will be edited according to journal standards. Authors will be given reasonable periods of time to submit revisions to content as recommended by a peer reviewer, and stylistic edits as recommended by journal editorial staff. Corrections of punctuation, spelling, and style will not be submitted for author’s approval if they do not alter the sense of the original article. If previously accepted articles do not adequately address mutually agreed upon revisions by the deadline, Women for Women International reserves the right to cancel publication of the article.

CONTACT

Women for Women International

Attn: Critical Half

4455 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 200

Washington , DC 20008

202-737-7705

criticalhalf@womenforwomen.org

Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife, and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. Additional information about our programs can be found online at http://www.womenforwomen.org.

Critical Half presents various perspectives on economic, social, and political issues as they relate to women in conflict and post-conflict societies. It targets the international development and post-conflict reconstruction communities, including government policymakers, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, U.S. foundations, academics, and philanthropists, as well as the grassroots supporters of Women for Women International and its programs.