Call for Contributions

Submissions from 500 to 9000 words will be considered for publication. In addition to original research essays, Public Culture welcomes submissions of photo-essays and other visual essays, with or without accompanying text; editorials for the Doxa at Large section; translations of previously published, groundbreaking essays; interviews with prominent artists and intellectuals; announcements of collective intellectual projects; and short review essays. Authors may also choose to shape their contributions according to the criteria for the following occasional sections:

Arts in Circulation: Reflections and reports on innovative critical cultural work and on the work of art in public. Includes pieces on new kinds of museums; alternative or oral history projects; the expansion of musical performance and recording into forgotten musical histories or the dissemination of a broader range of music; alternative publishing ventures or exhibition practices in film, theater, and dance; innovative cultural work with children; public art such as murals and graffiti; innovative uses of television, radio, or other mass media; and reports on past cultural work.

Sites of Knowledge: Reports and deliberation on institutions that have made a signal mark on a world region. Research centers, journals, publishing ventures, or any other institution of knowledge production and dissemination can be selected for close attention and engagement through interviews with key participants, direct documentation, and critique. How do institutional sites define and engage their publics? How do they position themselves in global networks of knowledge production? What notable qualities and innovations are worth sharing? The aim of this section is to generate an archive of sites of knowledge through a set of informative and critical reflections.

Etymologies: Investigates the contemporary uses and meanings of the terms public, publicity, and public opinion. Short essays (of approximately six to eight pages) that consider the semantics and pragmatics of one or more of these interrelated terms in the context of a particular language and a particular people are welcome. How do these terms compare across cultures and languages? Do their meanings "translate," and what do their "mistranslations" bode for comparative social theory grounded in what may be hidden ontological statements about civil society?

Miscellany: A collection of various artifacts, especially news clippings, literary extracts, postcards, and images. Includes media accounts of items relevant to public discourse and debate throughout the world. The section seeks to highlight not only the reported phenomena as such but also the nature of journalistic mediation. Submissions should include all relevant facts of publication and should be no longer than three pages.

From the Field: Briefly annotated single photographs for inclusion as a photo feature at the end of the issue. Submissions are not limited by style or content.

Submissions Guidelines

Essays

1. Length. The entire manuscript—text, quotations, references, notes, bibliography—should be no longer than 9000 words. In some cases authors may be requested to shorten essays.

2. Format. Manuscripts should be double-spaced throughout, including notes, and formatted for US letter-size paper (A4 is acceptable for initial hard-copy submissions). Please do not include a title page. Submission title and author name should be centered at the head of the first page, and the author name italicized. Bold text should only be used for section titles. Please include page numbers. At the end of the manuscript authors should include both a short biography, stating the author's institutional affiliation, relevant recent publications, and current research (about 50–70 words), and a list of 3–5 keywords describing the article for Web site search and categorization purposes. The font for all text should be Times New Roman 12 point.

3. Style. Authors are requested to conform to Public Culture's Style Guide, paying particular attention to citation style. With regard to aspects of style and spelling not explicitly addressed therein, please follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., and Webster’s Dictionary, 11th ed. Authors may elect to use either the author-date or notes-and-bibliography citation system. In either case authors should include a double-spaced list of "Literature Cited."

Download Public Culture's Style Guide:  PC-Style-Guide.doc

4. Images. All images must be received in a digital format and at a minimum of 300 DPI. While we welcome proposals as to why particular images should appear in color, all decisions about publishing in color will be made (on both financial and aesthetic considerations) by the editorial office. If the images are illustrations in a research essay, please indicate clearly in the body of the text where the images are to be inserted and provide appropriate captions. If the images are part of photo-essay or other visual essay, artists should bear in mind the following:

• Layout: All essays begin on a recto (right-hand) page. Final decisions regarding layout will rest with the editorial office.
• Specifications: A page of Public Culture measures 7 x 8-1/2 inches. Typefaces used in the production of the journal include: China Smallcaps, Gill Sans Bold Condensed, and Times New Roman. If more information is needed, please consult the editorial office.

In the case of submissions initially made as hard copies, please submit camera-ready copy, preferably in black-and-white. For photographs, 8x10 black-and-white glossy prints are strongly preferred. Photocopies of photographs are usually not acceptable. Please provide, on a separate page, an art log listing a caption for each illustration. If you wish us to return your images after review or publication, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

5. Permissions. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reprint any illustrations. Please note that our publisher, Duke University Press, strongly prefers obtaining permission even when the image is likely under public domain. Please consult the editorial office with any questions.

Groups of Essays

Groups of essays on a single topic or theme may be considered for publication in a Public Culture special section or issue . Please submit all papers together, following the guidelines above, and please also include:

• a short (approx. one-page) description of the common intellectual project of the group of papers
• a very short (250 words) abstract of each paper
• a list of the titles of the papers, their authors, and authors’ names and addresses

Approximate Schedule

Essays accepted for publication will generally be published within 9–12 months of notification. This schedule is somewhat flexible, however, and subject to various contingencies. If you have a particular concern about timing, please consult the editorial office.

How to Make Your Submission

Although we prefer electronic submissions, we do accept initial hard-copy submissions. Contributors are in any event requested to complete the required fields in the Submission Form, including contact information, submission type, and number of images. Manuscripts, preferably in Microsoft Word, and images, placed in a ZIP file, can be uploaded directly; alternatively, manuscripts can be mailed to the address provided.

Go to the Submission Form