Call for Papers 2/2025

2025-06-11

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Starting from the legacy of this conflict, we shall devote the tenth Issue of DIVE-IN to historical narratives, memories and literary representations of war and violence in a feminine perspective by taking as a focus East and South East Asia in the contemporary era. Countries in this part of the world have in various ways intercepted Western trajectories as sites of war involving Europe and US. They have also experienced (de-)colonization, both as objects and subjects of foreign domination. The Issue will, thus, present itself as an occasion to integrate the area perspective into a global reflection by extending to literary, cultural and historical studies.

The present Issue aims to enrich the historical narratives of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries, which are more often represented as dense with political and economic events, but not as equally rich in terms of social and cultural insights. In particular, the contribution will add more varied and articulate narratives to the understanding of a gendered history of the 20th century, thus filling a gap. At the same time, the Issue aspires to potentially re-dress the study of contemporary entanglements between the West and East/South-east Asia. By introducing and reinforcing the gender element within a thematic exploration of war, violence and trauma, and by highlighting transnational connections to European and American culture, the publication will potentially stimulate a collective re-thinking of intercultural perceptions of female trauma.

Editors invite submissions in the following (though not exclusive) areas of analysis

  1. Narratives of war and trauma
  • War related biographical texts, diaries and memories written by women
  • Literary representations of violence and survival in East and Southeast Asia
  1. Historical memory and genders of memory
  • Women and remembrance practices: intergenerational transmission of trauma
  • Analysis of “culturally situated memory” in a gender perspective
  1. Trauma studies and gender perspectives
  • Feminist interpretations of trauma in the context of armed conflict
  • Collective trauma and feminine subjectivities
  1. Social history and micro-history
  • The role of women in resistance movements and decolonization processes
  • War as a tool for the redefinition of gender roles
  • Micro-historical approaches to feminine experiences in XX-XXIst century conflicts
  1. Postcolonial and transnational studies
  • Intersectional approaches: colonialism, patriarchy, violence
  • Connections and comparisons between Asian narratives and Western representations of trauma
  • Transculturality in feminine remembrances of war
  1. Media, visual arts and cultural studies
  • Representations of trauma as experienced by women in cinema, theatre, photography, comics, graphic novel, contemporary art
  • Artistic re-interpretations of the ‘comfort women’ issue and of other traumatic historical events

 

Deadlines and Timeline:

  • Deadline for abstract submission (500 words): 20/08/2025
  • Please send abstracts to: scrolavezza@unibo.it and valeria.zanier@unibo.it, and clearly indicate: "DIVE-IN Proposal 2/2025" in the e-mail object.
  • Notifications of acceptance/not acceptance shall be sent within 20/09/2025
  • Deadline for the submission of the entire article is: 30/11/2025

 

The Issue is being published in ITA/ENG