Call for Papers for Journal of Dialogue Studies
Autumn 2015, Volume 3, Number 2
Dialogue and Democracy

Paper submission deadline: 11/07/2015

This is a call for papers for the Journal of Dialogue Studies, a multidisciplinary, blind-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 providing ‘dialogue and democracy’ for the forthcoming issue. However, authors are also welcome to submit papers that address the topic of the previous issues, namely ‘social scientific and historical analysis of dialogue practice’, ‘dialogue ethics’, ‘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.

For the Journal’s Editorial Team, Editorial Board, article submission guideline, style-guide and past issues please click here or visit: www.DialogueStudies.org

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 and Democracy’
The Editors invite papers on dialogue and democracy, including papers critically appraising the following areas:
What is the relationship between dialogue and democracy?
How is dialogue espoused by different practitioners of democracy, from leaders to the general public?
The positive and negative impact dialogue can have on democracy.
What can democracy learn from dialogue?
Are politics and/or power structures within the context of a democratic system compatible with dialogue values and processes?
What role if any can dialogue play in supporting the processes that produce and develop government policies?
Are political ambitions and dialogic aspirations mutually exclusive?

Papers on ‘Social Scientific and Historical Analysis of Dialogue Practice’
Where do dialogue practices come from, sociologically and intellectually?
How has dialogue practice changed/developed over time in a particular place, religious/interreligious context and/or post conflict context?
How have dialogue practices been shaped by overlapping areas of theory, policy and practice?
How have dialogue practices themselves impacted upon societal issues or discourse?
Mapping the existing field of practice and study.
Sociological and historical analysis of the perception of the need for ‘dialogue’ given its current status as a preferred means of community engagement or management of community/intergroup tensions or conflict.
(See Fern Elsdon-Baker, JDS 1:1)

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.

In all papers submitted, a concern with the theory or practice of dialogue should be in the foreground.

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.organd must be received by 11th July 2015 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, provided here, and Style Guide, provided here. The running order for Volume 3, Number 2, listing the papers to be published in that issue, will be announced by the beginning of September 2015. For further information please click here.

Please send any queries to the Editorial Team via journal@dialoguesociety.org


Sadik Cinar
Executive Director

Dialogue Society Dialogue Society
402 Holloway Road,
London, N7 6PZ
T + 44 (0) 207 619 03 61
E scinar@dialoguesociety.org
W www.dialoguesociety.org

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