AMERICAN QUARTERLY

Scope & Guideline

Charting New Territories in Cultural Studies and History

Introduction

Delve into the academic richness of AMERICAN QUARTERLY with our guidelines, detailing its aims and scope. Our resource identifies emerging and trending topics paving the way for new academic progress. We also provide insights into declining or waning topics, helping you stay informed about changing research landscapes. Evaluate highly cited topics and recent publications within these guidelines to align your work with influential scholarly trends.
LanguageEnglish
ISSN0003-0678
PublisherJOHNS HOPKINS UNIV PRESS
Support Open AccessNo
CountryUnited States
TypeJournal
Convergefrom 1970 to 1973, from 1976 to 1977, from 1979 to 1982, 1986, from 1988 to 1989, from 2000 to 2024
AbbreviationAM QUART / Am. Q.
Frequency4 issues/year
Time To First Decision-
Time To Acceptance-
Acceptance Rate-
Home Page-
AddressJOURNALS PUBLISHING DIVISION, 2715 NORTH CHARLES ST, BALTIMORE, MD 21218-4363

Aims and Scopes

American Quarterly is a leading journal that explores the complexities of American culture through a critical lens, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and social justice perspectives. Its core areas of focus include:
  1. Interdisciplinary Approaches to American Studies:
    The journal encourages contributions that blend multiple disciplines, including history, literature, cultural studies, and sociology, to enrich the understanding of American society.
  2. Social Justice and Activism:
    A significant focus is placed on themes of social justice, activism, and the experiences of marginalized communities, highlighting the intersectionality of race, gender, and class.
  3. Decolonial and Postcolonial Perspectives:
    The journal frequently addresses issues of settler colonialism, imperialism, and the legacies of colonialism in shaping contemporary American identities and histories.
  4. Cultural Criticism and Representation:
    American Quarterly critically examines cultural production, representation, and the politics of identity in various forms of media, including literature, film, and visual arts.
  5. Historical Contextualization:
    The journal emphasizes the importance of historical context in understanding contemporary issues, often linking past events to current societal challenges.
American Quarterly has been responsive to contemporary social issues, leading to the emergence of several trending themes in its recent publications. These themes reflect the journal's commitment to addressing current societal challenges and diversifying the field of American Studies:
  1. Racial Capitalism and Economic Justice:
    Recent articles increasingly explore the intersections of race and capitalism, examining how economic structures perpetuate racial inequalities and injustices.
  2. Indigenous Studies and Settler Colonialism:
    There is a marked increase in scholarship focused on Indigenous perspectives, rights, and settler colonialism, reflecting a broader recognition of Indigenous voices in American Studies.
  3. Feminist and Queer Theories:
    Emerging themes include the integration of feminist and queer theories in analyzing cultural texts and social movements, emphasizing the importance of gender and sexual identity in understanding American culture.
  4. Environmental Justice and Ecocriticism:
    The journal has begun to publish more work at the intersection of environmental studies and social justice, exploring how environmental issues disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
  5. Digital Humanities and New Media:
    There is a growing trend towards examining the impact of digital technologies and new media on culture, identity, and activism, reflecting the changing landscape of scholarship in the 21st century.

Declining or Waning

While American Quarterly continues to evolve, certain themes have become less prominent in recent publications. The following areas appear to be waning in focus:
  1. Traditional American Exceptionalism:
    The concept of American exceptionalism, which was once a central theme in American Studies, seems to be declining as scholars increasingly critique this narrative in favor of more nuanced and critical perspectives.
  2. Conventional Literary Analysis:
    There is a noticeable decrease in papers focusing solely on traditional literary analysis of canonical texts, as the journal shifts towards more interdisciplinary and culturally relevant approaches.
  3. Focus on Mainstream American History:
    Themes centered on mainstream American history, particularly those that do not interrogate issues of race, gender, and class, appear to be less frequently addressed in favor of marginalized narratives.
  4. Eurocentric Perspectives:
    The journal is moving away from Eurocentric viewpoints that dominate traditional American Studies, favoring instead diverse and global perspectives that reflect the complexities of American identity.

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