CFA/CFP: Call for Papers/Abstracts: Edited Volume on Anxieties About the Future of Democracy
Deadline for Abstract Submission: January 15, 2018

Editor Full Name / Name of Organization
Robert C Robinson / Georgia State University
Contact email: rrobinson43@gsu.edu

Abstracts are being solicited for a collection of essays on the topic of democracy and democratic equality, with an emphasis on those areas that may be responsible for our failure to realize the goals and methods of democracy, in the West, beginning in the 80s, through to the present. Recent events in the United States, Great Brittan, and Western Europe give reason to take stock in the importance of the democratic method, and reflect on the ways in which citizens and leaders may make corrections so that we can continue to achieve the high ideas and goals of living in a free and democratic society.

This is a timely collection, as many in the west are puzzled and surprised about movements away from the core values of democracy, toward fascism, authoritarianism, nationalism, and protectionism. Collecting these essays in one place will allow readers, students, researchers, and activists to focus their energies in a worthwhile direction; at the moment, many understand that things have gone wrong, but are at a loss to identify what it is, or what can be done about it. The final essays will be academically rigorous, but will be framed in a way that will also engage the smart, interested lay-person, giving the collection a wide, popular appeal.

The editor welcomes essays from a variety of fields, including Politics, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, Media, and History, among others, and is open to a number of methodologies of analysis (e.g., feminist, Marxist, Liberal, Libertarian, etc). Contributors are welcome to submit abstracts on any topic of interest, and the editor is particularly keen to read novel arguments that engage with the topic in new or surprising ways. That is, essays should do more than describe a problem; they should argue for a new, unique, and interesting solution. Possible example topics include:

voter ID laws
gerrymandering
anti-intellectualism
distrust of experts
xenophobia
islamophobia
cable TV News
the electoral college
the politics of climate change
Citizens United
theoretical limits of democracy
and others…

The final collection will be submitted for publication to Palgrave MacMillan.

Abstracts between 300-500 words, along with any initial queries regarding the project, should be sent to Robert Robinson (rrobinson43@gsu.edu) by January 15, 2018. Please include in your abstract a tentative title, as well as a description of the thematic content of your paper. Please also submit an updated CV and/or description of your affiliation (if applicable). All abstracts will be carefully assessed for suitability in the collection, and authors will be contacted by February 1. Final acceptance in the collection will depend on completed essays, which much be submitted by July 1, 2018. Finished essays should be 5000-7000 words, including notes and references.

Contributor Guidelines:

Submissions should not have been published in large part previously
Submissions should be made via email, preferably as MS Word attachment
Early submissions are welcome and encouraged
January 15 2018: Abstracts due to rrobinson43@gsu.edu
February 1 2018: Authors notified
July 1 2018: Finished essays due
Please feel free to forward to anyone who may be interested in contributing: http://sites.gsu.edu/rrobinson43/democracy/