Global Metamorphosis
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Organization: St. John's University
The St. John's University Humanities Review Spring 2024 Issue, “Global Metamorphosis,” seeks to explore how the world around us, socially, politically, academically, literarily, etc., has transformed or is transforming. We look forward to scholarly papers, short sections of dissertation or thesis chapters, book reviews, narratives, fiction, poetry, art, etc., that engage the issue’s broad theme of global metamorphosis.
Why “Global Metamorphosis”? After the recent torrential rains and flooding in New York, Governor
Kathy Hochul referred to this extreme weather and failure of infrastructure as the “new normal.”
While it may appear to be easy to normalize these changes that occur in our lives, we might first try to grapple with those changes and the consequences, both negative and positive, of the
transformations that change our present and our future. The OED defines metamorphosis as “the
action or process of changing” or “a complete change” in appearance, circumstances, condition, or
state of affairs. Whether from tadpole to bullfrog or traveling salesman to giant cockroach,
metamorphosis is both a concept with a literary history and an opportunity to engage the structural changes that we see around us. The COVID-19 pandemic, international warfare, economic downturns, NYC migrant crisis, wildfires, and book censorship are just some of the metamorphoses we are experiencing that are changing the humanities and how we approach humanities studies. What new approaches do these transformations bring to our academic work? How do we see the concept of metamorphosis in global literatures? How do we grapple with these metamorphoses?
Our issue is open to proposals that explore all sides and outcomes of “Global Metamorphosis” including but not limited to:
• Metamorphosis in literature, metamorphoses of the literary tradition
• Crisis as a driver of positive and negative transformation
• Theories and pedagogies of metamorphosis
• Apocalyptic scenarios and panics
• “New normals,” adaptations, and mutations
• Learning together and apart throughout COVID
• New occasions for feminist, anti-racist, queer, and disability rhetorics
• Anthropocene
How to Submit:
I. Submit a 200-300 word abstract by December 18th, 2023 to the below submission form
A. You will receive acceptance responses within one week of submission
B. Once your abstract has been accepted, submit the final by February 12, 2024
II. Creative works can include up to 3 short pieces or 1 longer piece up to 6000 words. You may
submit both creative and academic works. If you are submitting creative work, please submit
the work instead of an abstract for the CFP.
Mosammat Sultana