Submit to the Journal of Civic Media

Civic Imagination: Submissions Due by May 15, 2019

Civic imagination, a term coined and largely explored by Henry Jenkins, refers to “the capacity to imagine alternatives to current cultural, social, political, or economic conditions.” The act of imagining civic futures for the sake of a better world is not progressive necessarily. What civic futures are? How does civic imagination differ from utopias or dystopias? What challenges does civic imagination entail? What does it take to mobilize citizens and communities to imagine themselves as civic agents, capable of imagining their own futures? How are the notions of “change” and “progress” embedded in civic imagination? How can civic imagination be implemented in the real world and what is the role of technology in this process of change? These are some of the issues that the second issue of The Journal of Civic Media seeks to address from a variety of perspectives. Submissions across disciplines, comparative media and methodologies as well as case studies are highly encouraged.

The Journal of Civic Media seeks submissions on all aspects related to civic imagination, including but not limited to:

  • THEORIES OF CIVIC IMAGINATION

  • EFFECTIVE CIVIC LEADERSHIP: LESSONS FROM THE PAST

  • GENDER AND CLASS IN CIVIC IMAGINATION

  • IMAGINING CIVIC FUTURES

  • CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CIVIC FUTURES

  • ANALOG/NON-DIGITAL APPROACHES TO CIVIC IMAGINATION-

  • RELATED ENGAGEMENT AND RELEVANT CASE STUDIES

  • THE RACIAL IMAGINARY

Focus and Scope

The objective of the Journal of Civic Media is to provide a forum for scholars, practitioners, students and the general public to read about and discuss the complex landscape of civic media. In pursuing this objective, a combination of scholarly discussion, practical civic application and relevant news in the field of civic media will be considered for publication.

The Journal of Civic Media is a publication of Engagement Lab at Emerson College in Boston. The Journal of Civic Media is coordinated and edited by graduate students in the Civic Media: Art and Practice master’s degree program. Columns are reviewed and published in alignment with a twice-yearly, themed editorial schedule.

How to Contribute

1) Read, Comment and Share: The Journal of Civic Media’s goal is to foster a robust conversation about the field of civic media. Readers are encouraged to contribute by engaging columnists and other readers in the comments section of each column, as well as share and continue the conversation in the broader public sphere.

2) Submit a Paper: The editors of Civic Media Project seek original papers between 1,500 and 2,500 words for a twice-yearly publication based on a determined theme. The submission must be related to the theme for the current call, and should seek to do one of the following: contribute new ideas to the field of civic media and/or provoke further conversation research around the designated theme. Submissions will generally be submitted by academics, students or practitioners in the civic media field, however, all submissions will be considered. Requests and proposals regarding potential submissions are encouraged.

To be considered for publication, papers should be emailed as attachments in .doc, .docx or Google doc format, double-spaced, in MLA or CMS style, with the author’s name and contact information. Submissions should include relevant academic or practical references, cited at the end of the text. A brief biography (50 words) should be submitted for inclusion at the end of the paper. Submitters are encouraged to include visual additions such as photos, videos, gifs, data visualizations or screen captures related to their content. There is no determined limit on number of submissions that will be accepted per issue. The editorial decision-making will be based on the quality of content.

3) Become a Regular Contributor: Regular Contributors are asked to commit to writing four original submissions over a two-year period (once per issue). These submissions are meant to pose thoughtful or provocative questions for discussion, debate or future research and should follow the above guidelines for one-time contributions. Regular Contributors are encouraged to include visual additions such as photos, videos or screen captures related to their content.

4) Digital/Multimedia Projects: The Journal of Civic Media encourages submission of digital, multimedia or design projects. These submissions are screened for quality and appropriateness by our editorial staff. Scholars wishing to share their digital work with the Journal of Civic Media community are encouraged to post them on Vimeo, YouTube, SlideShare, or other free services, then send us a URL and a short statement to accompany the submission.

Editorial Review Process

The Journal of Civic Media is a peer-reviewed journal run by graduate students in the Civic Media: Art and Practice (CMAP) program at Emerson College. All submissions will be reviewed to ensure that content aligns with the call for submission. If an article is accepted, our reviewers will provide one round of feedback and request for revisions.

Ready to get started?

We invite scholars and practitioners, graduate students and faculty in the civic media field to submit paper proposals. Papers should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words, including references in the Chicago Manual Style.

Please review The Journal of Civic Media’s full Editorial Policies prior to submission. Inquiries and submissions should be sent to journalofcivicmedia@gmail.com by 5p.m. on May 15, 2019. Selected submissions for the current call will be published in the spring 2019 volume of The Journal of Civic Media.