Paper submission deadline: 11.07.2014

This is a call for papers for the Journal of Dialogue Studies, a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal published twice a year. The Journal seeks to bring together a body of original scholarship on the theory and practice of dialogue that can be critically appraised and discussed. It aims to contribute towards establishing 'dialogue studies' as a distinct academic field (or perhaps even emerging discipline). It is hoped that this will be directly useful not only to scholars and students but also to professionals and practitioners working in different contexts at various cultural interfaces.

The editors would like to call for papers relating to ‘dialogue ethics’ for the forthcoming issue. However, authors are also welcome to submit papers that address the topic of the previous issue, namely ‘critiquing dialogue theories’, or indeed any other paper that comes within the remit of the Journal as described below. All papers, regardless of their particular theme, will be considered so long as they are in line with the aims and focus of the Journal. Please see below for more information.

Papers within General Remit of Journal

The Journal publishes conceptual, research, and/or case-based works on both theory and practice, and papers that discuss wider social, cultural or political issues as these relate to the practice and evaluation of dialogue. Dialogue is understood provisionally as: meaningful interaction and exchange between individuals and/or people of different groups (social, cultural, political and religious) who come together through various kinds of conversations or activities with a view to increased understanding. Some scholars will want to question that description of dialogue, and others may be sceptical of the effectiveness of dialogue as a mechanism to produce increased understanding. The Editors of course welcome vigorous discussion and debate on these and other fundamental questions.

The Editors do not have any preference as regards the general disciplinary background of the work. Indeed contributions will be welcome from a variety of disciplines which may, for example, include sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, linguistics, the study of religion, politics, international relations or law.

Papers on ‘Dialogue Ethics’

The editors invite papers with a focus on dialogue and ethics, including papers critically exploring the following areas:
- Dialogic ethics as conceived by dialogue theorists such as Buber, Gadamer, Freire (and developed by others)
- Ethics espoused and/or enacted by leaders of/participants in dialogue
- Dialogue as a process of ethics formation/refinement
- Underlying and perhaps unstated values in dialogue:
- What kind of interaction is seen valid or as meaningful? What are the criteria? Who decides? (Fern Eldson-Baker, JDS 1:1)
- Where building understanding is conceived as goal of dialogue, ‘what understandings are valued and how [are] such understandings… defined’? (Michael Atkinson, JDS 1:1)
- Ethical pitfalls in the practice of dialogue

Papers on ‘Critiquing Dialogue Theories’

By dialogue 'theories' is meant developed, significant understandings or principles of dialogue. The Editors are open to papers exploring theories extrapolated by the author from the significant and distinctive practice of a dialogue practitioner who has perhaps not elaborated his/her ideas in writing. They invite papers which address critical/evaluative questions such as the following:
• Which dialogue theories are/have been most influential in practice?
• Do dialogue theories make sense in relation to relevant bodies of research and established theories?
• Do dialogue theories sufficiently take account of power imbalances?
• How far are dialogue theories relevant/useful to dialogue in practice?
• Do normative dialogue theories have anything to offer in challenging contexts in which circumstances often suggested as preconditions for dialogue (for example, equality, empathetic listening, the bringing of assumption into the open, safety) simply do not obtain?
The editors welcome papers which address these questions in relation to one or more than one specified dialogue theories. They also welcome critical case studies of the application of specified dialogue theories in practice.
For further details please see the call for papers for Volume 2, Issue 1: http://www.dialoguesociety.org/publications/academia/944-journal-of-dialogue-studies-vol-2-no-1.html.

General Information and Paper Submission

A concern with the theory or practice of dialogue should be in the foreground of papers that are submitted.

While the Editors do not wish to be prescriptive about the definition of dialogue, they do specify that papers should have a clear bearing on ‘live’ dialogue – actual interaction between human beings; papers which analyse written, fictional dialogue without relating this clearly and convincingly to ‘live’ dialogue are not suitable for the Journal.

Case studies should include a high level of critical evaluation of the practice in question, and/or apply dialogue theory in a way that advances understanding or critique of that theory and/or its application.

Papers should be submitted by email attachment to: journal@dialoguesociety.org and must be received by 11th July 2014 in order to allow sufficient time for peer review. Manuscripts should be presented in a form that meets the requirements set out in Journal’s Article Submission Guidelines and Style Guide, provided here: http://www.dialoguesociety.org/publications/academia/981-journal-of-dialogue-studies-vol-2-no-2.html. The running order for Volume 2, Number 2, listing the papers to be published in that issue, will be announced by the beginning of September 2014.

For further information about the Journal, its Editorial Board, submission guidelines and style guide please see http://www.dialoguesociety.org/publications/academia/981-journal-of-dialogue-studies-vol-2-no-2.html.

The first issue of the Journal is free to download via http://www.dialoguesociety.org/publications/academia/829-journal-of-dialogue-studies.html
Please send any queries to the Editorial Team via journal@dialoguesociety.org.