Call for Book Chapters: "Violence, Activism and Urban Space Across the Globe"

Vernon Press invites book-chapter proposals for a forthcoming interdisciplinary volume on the subject of “Violence, Activism and Urban Space Across the Globe.” 

Social media is replacing traditional media and is becoming the eyewitness of the violence towards underrepresented segments of society as demonstrated by the protests and riots that occurred in the aftermath of Georges Floyd’s death. That same movement was echoed all around the world in Spring 2021 when millions of people gathered in the street despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Violence is also internal, as urban violence also comes from within gangs from ‘enemy’ neighborhoods. 

Outcasts situated in “out-of-sight,” secluded and stigmatized areas are a global phenomenon, from the US ghettos, the slums in Cape Town, the Antillean bendo, the French banlieues or the villas miseria in Argentina. Those are just some examples of spaces that this book aims to explore. Based on Loic Wacquant’s analysis of Urban Marginality in 2006, this volume invites new reflection on the current situation by examining violence and activism, past and present, that shape the conditions of those urban spaces and their inhabitants. 

The proposed anthology of critical writings aims to gather critical essays with a multidisciplinary focus on either sociological facts or analytical written or visual materials such as cinema, music or other forms of arts, sports or pop culture. The book will attempt to explore other alternatives to displace negative stigmas associated with urban spaces through several questions: 

• Do peaceful marches or violent riots bring a solution to counter violence? 
• Is “inside violence” a form of activism? 
• Who is legitimate to be an activist? 
• How can the understanding of the past help us find a solution for the present as a story that repeats itself? 
• Does violence aim to maintain a sacred space that qualifies it? 
• Are poverty, inequality and social status a “comfort zone”? 
• Is violence a way to negotiate and regulate the dominant space? 
• Does space division illustrate a way of self-empowerment to defend and protect it? 

If you are interested in contributing to the book, please submit your abstract in English, French or Spanish (200-220 words) and a biography (100 words, affiliated research field and 2 listed publications) by January 1st, 2023 to the book editor Dr. Emma Chebinou: echebinou@gsu.edu 

Deadlines/details to keep in mind:

Deadline for submission: December 1, 2023

Deadline for notification of acceptance/rejection: January 1, 2023

Deadline for full article: August 1, 2023

Length of chapter/article: 6,500 - 8,500 words including endnotes and bibliography.

Style: M.L.A.-style of citations (preferably as per the specifications of M.L.A. 6th edition)