The Postcolonial Novel, Post-9/11 (Winter 2020)

Studies in the Novel is currently seeking submissions for a special issue on “The Postcolonial Novel, Post-9/11,” which will be guest edited by Gaurav Desai (University of Michigan) and published in Winter 2020.

As we approach the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, this special issue invites contributors to address how the postcolonial novel, broadly construed, has been shaped by and in turn responded to the events of 9/11. Even as we extend this call, we want our interlocutors to have a critical stance towards our framing of the topic – is 9/11 an appropriate historical marker of global relevance or does it exhibit a US-centric worldview? Is the designation “postcolonial” still the most effective marker for cultural production post-9/11 when the “colonialism” that it often refers to is overwhelmingly marked by a previous era?

Beyond these matters of framing, the issue is interested in papers that consider how postcolonial novels have engaged with topics such as the alleged clash of civilizations, the notion of just and unjust wars, the politics of retribution, the discourse of ‘national security,’ the erosion of civil liberties, the surveillance of the ‘foreigner,’ figurations of the ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism,’ Islamophobia, New Orientalism/Post-Orientalism, the migrant postcolonial novel post-9/11, transnational feminism in a post-9/11 world, US imperialism post-9/11, international responses to 9/11, and inter-ethnic solidarities/tensions in the aftermath of 9/11, among others. We are equally interested in publishing articles that engage with the ways in which 9/11 has shaped both the themes and the forms of the postcolonial novel.

Submissions should be sent in MS Word, devoid of personal identifying information. Manuscripts should be 6,000-9,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes and Works Cited, have standard formatting (1” margins, double-spaced throughout, etc.), and conform to the 7th edition of the MLA Style Manual. Endnotes should be as brief and as limited in number as possible. Illustrations may accompany articles; high-resolution digital files (JPEGs preferred) must be provided upon article acceptance. All copyright permissions must be obtained by the author prior to publication.

Questions and submissions should be sent to studiesinthenovel@unt.edu.

The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2019.