Special Issues

While Exchanges normally publishes two issues annually, often with papers on an invited theme, since 2019 the journal has collaborated with external scholars to create various special issues. Some of these have reached publication, while others are currently in preparation.

Published

The MRC@50: [Published September 2024]
Developed in collaboration with the Modern Records Centre (MRC, Warwick), this special issue was driven by the papers and speakers at the MRC’s birthday conference (The MRC at 50: Research Informed and Inspired by the Modern Records Centre, September 20th 2023). The volume primarily comprises critical reflections, celebrating the MRC's people and history, as well as research it has inspired and enabled. For more on the MRC's celebrations and their birthday symposium, visit the above link.

Research Culture: IRCC '23: [Published August 2024]
Developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Research Culture (Warwick) this special issue presents papers derived from the International Research Culture Conference (IRCC) 2023. Presenters and delegates were invited to contribute following the September 2023 event, with a focus on criticial reflection articles. Published just ahead of the IRCC '24 conference, this forms the first of a series of research culture focused special issues.

The Effect of Plurality in Translation: [Published April 2024]
This special issue aimed to present contributions incorporating thought-provoking pieces which address the possible effects of plurality in linguistic, conceptual, and cultural translation. An open call for abstracts went live in October 2021, with a submission deadline of 1st November 2021. The first batch of papers from this call was published as a special theme within the April 2024 issue of Exchanges.

The Anthropocene and More-Than-Human World: [Published March 2023]
This special issue formed part of a project funded by The British Academy, led by the University of Nottingham and the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. The volume contains work supported, inspired and  developed as an output from a series of academic workshops for early career scholars, which the Exchanges’ Editor-in-Chief helped facilitate. 

The Lonely Nerd: [Published August 2022]
This special issue collates a rich vein of scholarship concerning the cultural representations, perceptions and experiences of ‘nerds’ from around the globe. It comprises a range of invited papers selected from responses to an open call, early versions of which were presented at a workshop in spring 2021 at Warwick. The issue was developed in association with scholars at the University of Oxford and SOAS, University of London. 

Then & Now: [Published August 2021]
This special issue brings together an assortment of articles and critical reflections relating to the Then & Now student-led research project and exhibition, based at the University of Warwick. Published during summer 2021 it marked the culmination of 18 months of activity.

Climate Fiction: [Published February 2021]
This special issue brought an assortment of articles, reflections and discussions to our interdisciplinary readership, which this time derived from or were inspired by the 20th International Conference of the Utopian Studies Society, hosted in Prato, Italy in 2019. The journal issue was developed in association with the universities of Monash, Australia and Warwick. 

Cannibalism: [Published January 2020]
This special issue centred on material which was derived from the 2018 ‘Bites here and there’ conference on cannibalism, hosted at the University Warwick. It was also the first issue of the journal developed with the help of a team of associate editors. 

In Development

Gender & Intersectionality: [Anticipated Publication - 2025]
Developed in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender (CSWG), this special issue will be driven by papers and participents in their Graduate Seminar Series. The seminar series aims to foster discussions on questions of/around gender and feminist studies, alongside providing a safe and comfortable space for students to present their research. As such, the papers will reflect the content of these debates, discussions and deliberations. It is anticipated publication will be early in 2025.

Queerness as Strength: [Anticipated Publication - 2025]
Developed in collaboration with Monash University, Australia, this special issue will incorporate papers considering how queerness could be applied, perceived or deployed as a strength within research across various disciplines. For example, considering how the strengths of queer communities can be utilised in areas of practice, rather than being othered,  ostracised or obscured. The call for participation was launched in late 2023, and closed in March 2024. Paper submissions anticipated by early summer 2024 with publication currently anticipated for summer 2025.

Sustainability Culture: [Anticipated Publication - 2025]
Developed in collaboration with the National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) & College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), Taiwan , this special issue will feature papers on how culture defines our drive and thrust toward sustainability from an interdisciplinary approach. It is inspired in part by debates and discussions at the International Conferences on Sustainability Culture (ICSC) in 2022 and 2023, but the special issue call will be open to all scholars, globally. A call for participation (expressions of interest) will open shortly.

Research Culture '24: [Anticipated Publication - 2025]
Once again developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Research Culture (Warwick) this special issue will follow in the tradition of the previous volume (IRCC '23, published Summer 2024). It will collate and present papers inspired, derived and drawn from presentations, posters and discourse at the International Research Culture Conference (IRCC) 2024. Exchanges will be at the conference to discuss potential submissions, and potentially to share some of our own experiences in producing the prior volume. A call for participation was issued following the conference to delegates and presenters, with anticipated publication in mid-2025.

Special Issue Production

Each special issue’s development has varied in terms of schedule, connection to events and its call to authors. This aspect is usually defined through initial conversations between the Editor-in-Chief and the project initiators. Additionally, special issues often offer the opportunity for post-graduate researchers at collaborating institutions to become involved as associate editors and contribute to the reviewing and editorial preparation for publication. Ideally, special issues should resonate with Exchanges’ twin missions of enabling interdisciplinary discourse and researcher development. Alongside this, they also provide the journal with the benefits of enriching its contributing and reading communities. Special issues of Exchanges normally take a minimum of 12-18 months from inception to publication, although the provision of additional support funding may reduce this period.

While a number of other special issues are in the preliminary stages of discussion and development, the Editor-in-Chief welcomes further approaches and expressions of interest from scholars around the world for further special issue projects. 

Detailed guidance is available on the IAS' Exchanges pages.

Proposing Future Special Issues

Find out more about what goes into proposing a special issue of Exchanges in this episode of our podcast. Alternatively, to discuss ideas or concepts for potential future special issues, or for all matters relating to the Exchanges journal, please contact the Editor-in-Chief.