Yolanda Mackey Barkers, Stony Brook Univ. (Web)

Proposals by: 03.02.2026

Over one hundred years after the Harlem Renaissance, centennial milestones are being widely discussed and debated at commemorative conference panels, events, publications, and exhibits. Building on this renewed interest, we invite proposals for contributions to The Oxford Handbook of the Harlem Renaissance, which will offer scholars and graduate students a survey of the most recent research, frameworks, and methodologies animating the Harlem Renaissance for a new generation. This collection will bring together leading and emerging voices committed to positioning the Harlem Renaissance as both a US-based and transnational movement, situating African American literature, culture, and intellectual history in broader transregional and global contexts. The volume seeks essays that provide authoritative overviews of established areas of Harlem Renaissance scholarship as well as those that introduce innovative approaches, methodologies, and archives. We welcome work that engages literature, visual art, music, theater, performance, political thought, print culture, and digital humanities, as well as scholarship that foregrounds institutional/archival connections influencing the contours of our collective memory and understanding of the era. Essays should engage with existing scholarship while offering fresh interventions poised to shape the field for years to come.

Possible Topics Include (but are not limited to):
– Key or lesser-known figures (writers, editors, artists, intellectuals, activists)
– Print culture, periodicals, and publishing networks
– Gender, sexuality, and queer studies
– Transatlantic and diasporic connections
– Performance cultures (music, dance, theater, etc.)
– Visual arts, exhibitions, and material culture
– Dynamics of politics, race, and social movements
– Archives and institutions
– Digital archives and data-driven approaches
– Afterlives and resonances (Civil Rights Movement, Black Arts Movement, Black Lives Matter, etc.)

To propose a chapter for the Handbook, please submit a 300-word abstract outlining your proposed essay by February 3, 2026 for priority consideration. Potential contributors wishing to discuss their submissions are welcome to send queries by email to the editor, Yolanda Mackey Barkers. Please send emails to yolanda.mackey@stonybrook.edu.

Full chapter drafts of 6,000 – 8,000 words will be due Fall/Winter 2026.

Contact Email: yolanda.mackey@stonybrook.edu

Source: H-Net Notifications