Journal of Communication Inquiry (JCI) Special Issue (Web)
Deadline: 17.02.2014
The Journal of Communication Inquiry invites submissions for the October 2014 theme issue, which will explore the mediated political and cultural battle over equality for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and questioning individuals.
LGBTQ equality in recent years has often, but not exclusively, been discussed in the context of marriage equality and related domestic rights and privileges. Some U.S. states now recognize same-sex marriage, while others maintain constitutional amendments defining marriage as only for one man and one woman. At the federal level, the Supreme Court has struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and the current presidential administration has accelerated its efforts to recognize same-sex marriages. Globally, over a dozen countries recognize same-sex marriage. Other countries continue to criminalize the LGBTQ community, in some places with homosexuality still being punishable by death.
The fight over LGBTQ equality is being waged in a variety of settings, from local community resolutions in support of (or against) LGBTQ equality to the international uproar over holding an Olympics in Russia, which recently passed a law against the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.”
In short, the fight over LGBTQ equality has matured into a defining human rights and political issue of contemporary global culture. While the particulars of each of these battles vary, a common thread is that the struggle is talked about and carried out through mediated communication.
The Journal of Communication Inquiry is therefore inviting submission of works that examine these mediated discourses from a qualitative critical cultural perspective. The Journal welcomes scholarship that considers any form of mass media, including news, entertainment, politics, and online social networks.
The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 11:59 p.m. CST on February 17th, 2014.
Please refer to the JCI submission page for more details on manuscript requirements. We look forward to receiving your submissions!