What is the role of national commemorations in the endurance of nationalisms worldwide? How do collective memories compete with each other and feed existing group conflicts? Why do ordinary citizens celebrate or mourn their national past? These questions are particularly important in the rapidly changing times in which state-society relations become more unstable. In recent years, elements of ritualism and commemoration have also been used extensively by social movement organizations seeking to counter their regimes’ national narratives in countries and regions like Hong Kong, Cyprus, Thailand and Myanmar, to name a few. Another element adding to the importance of the study of national commemorations is that the COVID-19 has brought about new dynamics to them, sometimes giving way to virtual forms of commemoration, yet at other times being used by governments as a tool to clamp down on dissenting narratives.
In April 2021, just before the recent relapse in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the annual joint Memorial Day Ceremony was held, though partly virtually. In Hong Kong, on the other hand, the regime has used the pandemic as an excuse to ban the annual Tiananmen vigil for the second time in a row. In most places, national commemorations, rituals and anniversaries are vital to our understanding of collective memory and of nationalism as the dominant ideology of our time (Hutchinson 2009; Hyttinen and Näre 2017). National ritualism such as anniversaries and commemoration—in which collective memory, ethno-symbolism, rituals, contentious repertoire, state-society relation, and folklore practice feature prominently—represent part of the foundations of nationalism as a grounded ideology (Malešević 2019). Examples include the symbolic meanings of the annual June 4th vigil in Hong Kong, memorial rituals surrounding July 4th in the US, the Armenian genocide in Turkey, Naqba in Palestine, etc. (Lee 2019; Mok 2021; Waldstreicher 2017).
To highlight the importance of collective memory, ritualism, commemoration and ethno-symbolism to the understandings of nationalism, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN) calls for papers for our features section. We invite scholars from all disciplines. Our targets include, but are not limited to, the dynamics between nations and collective memory, the role of ethno-symbolism, and the ethno-national conflicts within states or between countries. We thereby invite empirical essays that employ qualitative, quantitative methods on a single case or from a comparative perspective, mixed methods, as well as theoretical articles that make contributions to the related topics. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary research approaches. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
- Commemorations of Genocide
- Celebrations of Independence
- Commemoration of nations and (competing) national narratives;
- Commemoration, ethno-symbolism and identity politics;
- Collective memory of ethno-national conflicts and nationalism within states or between countries;
- Commemoration, collective memory and genocide;
- The role of rituals, memories, and folklore practices in challenging the nation-state;
- Collective memory, nationalism and ethno-national conflict.
- Commemoration and state rituals in the Covid-19 era;
- Epidemics and collective memory
Important deadlines:
November 1: submission of paper proposals and expression of interest:
– Scholars interested in submitting a paper proposal are invited to submit: (1) a title; (2) a 300-word abstract; and (3) a short biography of author(s).
November 30: Editors will inform authors whose paper proposals have been accepted for consideration for publication. All submitted papers will go through a double-blind peer-review process once finalised and submitted.
May 1 2022: submission of final papers for peer-review. The papers will go through an accelerated double-blind peer-review process.
Only papers that are recommended for publication by the reviewers will be included in the special issue. Papers of significant contribution and quality that are recommended but not selected for this special issue (due to considerations of relevance or “fit” with the rest of the papers in the issue) will be considered for publication separately in our regular issues.
We expect publication by early 2023.
Please send all submissions to info@sienjournal.com clearly stating “Gounding the Nation” in the subject line
About Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism:
Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN) is a fully-refereed journal on ethnicity, identity and nationalism, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Association of the Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN). The sources and nature of ethnic identity, minority rights, migration and identity politics remain central and recurring themes of the modern world. The journal approaches the complexity of these questions from a contemporary perspective and, based on the latest scholarship, draws on a range of disciplines including political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, international relations, history and cultural studies.
SEN publishes three issues per volume, including regular special issues on themes of contemporary relevance. The journal aims to showcase exceptional articles from up-and-coming scholars across the world, as well as concerned professionals and practitioners in government, law, NGOs and the media, making it one of the first journals to provide an interdisciplinary forum for established and younger scholars alike. The journal is strictly non-partisan and does not subscribe to any particular viewpoints or perspective. All submitted articles to SEN go through a double-blind peer-reviewed process by scholars specialists in their respective fields.