Okinawan Journal of Island Studies (OJIS), Volume 4 (March 2023)
Special Issue on Island Activisms

(We are accepting submissions for regular issues as well. Please see here for the guidelines for regular issues) 

 

Research Paper Deadline October 31, 2022

Book reviews and forum essays are welcome through November 15, 2022

Expected Publication: March 2023
Submission and inquiries: Research Institute for Islands and Sustainability (RIIS), University of the Ryukyus, riis@riis.skr.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
Guest editors:
Ayano Ginoza, University of the Ryukyus, ginoza@eve.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
Evangelia Papoutsaki, SICRI Co-Convenor, papoutsaki@yahoo.co.uk
Marina Karides, University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa, mkarides@hawaii.edu
Tiara Naputi, University of California, Irvine, tnaputi@uci.edu

 

This special issue invites both disciplinary and interdisciplinary research papers, book reviews, forum essays, including reports and reflections on island activist events or actions organized locally, nationally, or transnationally, creative pieces, curated interviews or conversations, and audio, video, and multimedia contributions on activisms on islands. The objective is to make visible distinct and shared ways in which we can theorize island activisms as a category of analysis and understand how the activisms and their processes have shaped island cultures and islanders’ lives in complex and nuanced ways. Activisms, in plural form, encompass diverse ways that people engage in social change, including art, poetry, photographs, spoken word, language revitalization, education, farming, building, cultural events, protests, and other activities at various scales and through larger networks or movements. Activisms are sometimes written, voiced, performed, or silent. We invite papers to engage in the work of activisms in, about, and of islands and islanders. This volume hopes to bring together various forms of activisms on islands that inform, negotiate, and resist their geopolitical designations such as small, distant, vulnerable, and feminine.

 

Rather than understanding activism as supporting or leading social struggles, we understand social justice activisms to include a broad set of activities that are also oriented toward the protection of place, follow an investigative approach in pursuit of equitable treatment and opportunities, and that provide leadership but also engage in the more quotidian tasks required to support communities and build social movements.

 

As island scholars, there are various ways we might seek to engage with activism and resistance, personally and collectively (e.g., challenging the status quo and entrenched power dynamics and fighting injustice, rejecting traditional categories of human and nonhuman, as is embraced by environmental activism, or pursuing everyday forms of resistance). In what instances can scholarly work stand as activism and a form of resistance?

 

The concept of resistance complements activism. Here we see activism as a form of resistance that engages with broader questions of power, disobedience, objection and (in)justice. It also engages with often forgotten and ignored histories of activism for civil, social, cultural, and environmental rights. In many islands with histories of colonization or occupation, activisms manifest as resistance that takes on additional meaning as island activists confront the lasting legacies of exploitation, control, and oppression.

 

Topics might include but are not limited to:

 

• Collaborative island activisms, practices, and tactics and movements
• Indigenous activisms, politics of solidarity, and land rights
• Anti-racism, social justice, and critical race and ethnic perspectives
• E-activism, digitally enabled social change, and media-enabled activism
• Practices of care, island feminisms, queer activism, gender, and sexuality
• Religion and spirituality in island resistance movements
• Education and scholar-activism on islands
• Non-resistance, pacifism, and non-violence, advocacy, and social change
• Environmental and climate justice, and oceans and waterways
• Language, art, cultural resistance, and artivism
• Militarism, coloniality, and occupation

 

Manuscript Guidelines:

1. The title of the paper, author’s or authors’ name(s), affiliation(s), and full postal and email addresses should be submitted on a separate page (the title page).
2. Contributors should submit by email an electronic copy of their manuscript as a docx file to the OJIS editorial assistant at riis@riis.skr.u-ryukyu.ac.jp.
3. Copyrights of accepted manuscripts belong to RIIS.
4. Formatting of English manuscripts for OJIS should follow the most updated edition of the Chicago Manual of Style for author-date style.
5. Manuscripts should be written in excellent English. Regional varieties of English are acceptable as long as they are consistent throughout the paper. If you have questions about this, please contact the editors.
6. Names used in the manuscript should be written in the order of given name followed by family name. If your manuscript uses a different name-ordering convention, please indicate so on the title page for consideration.
7. Manuscripts should use A4 or letter paper-size with the following format: (a) a margin of 2.5cm (1 inch) should be set for every edge; (b) double-spaced text; and (c) 12 point font in (d) Times New Roman.
8. JPEG or TIFF format is preferred for graphs and photographs. The minimum resolution must be 600dpi for black and white, and 300 dpi for color images. In most cases, visual images will be printed in black and white, but the journal will maintain the original colors in the open-access version published online.
9. Manuscripts should be no longer than 8,000 words, including figures, footnotes/endnotes (if any), and a reference section. Manuscripts should be accompanied by an abstract of about 300 words.
10. Please add a short biography of less than 200 words. Information should include institutional affiliation, publications, and current research projects or interests.
11. Please list up to five keywords for the manuscript.
12. The headings “Abstract,” “Notes,” and “References,” as well as section headings, should be 14 in boldface; subsection headings should be in boldface and italics. If endnotes are used, they should follow the body of the paper and be followed by the list of works cited.
13. All submissions must be formatted according to these guidelines in order to be considered for publication.

 

Book Review:
1. Book reviews should be no longer than 1,000 words, including figures, footnotes/endnotes (if any), and a reference section.
2. Please add a short biography of less than 200 words. Information should include institutional affiliation, publications, and current research projects or interests.
3. All submissions must be formatted according to these guidelines in order to be considered for publication.

 

Forum:
1. Written works should not exceed 3,000 words and must be sent in docx format.
2. Follow guidelines #4, 5, 6, and 7 in the Manuscript Guidelines section above for formatting.
3. Visual art submissions must be in either jpg or gif format. In most cases, art pieces will be printed in black and white, but the journal will maintain the original colors in the open-access version published online.
4. In principle, submissions must not have been previously published in print or online. Authors are responsible for determining whether fair use may be invoked for third-party materials (authors will still need to obtain permission for third-party works that are not utilized under fair use and to pay all reproduction fees).
5. Any documents granting permission for use of third-party materials should be kept by the author, who will provide copies when submitting final materials for publication to the editorial assistant. Since OJIS is a peer reviewed journal, all forum submissions will be screened and reviewed to determine if the contents align with the objectives of the forum.

 

Other:
1. Curated interviews or conversations (2000-3000 words) with an island activist or scholar.
2. A report/reflection/essay on an island activist event or action organized in your local area (1000 words).
3. Creative pieces (video, audio, images, text /3000-4000 words).
4. Audio, video, and multimedia pieces (with research statement 1000 words).

 

Download PDF

 

Acknowledgement to artists:
Emory Douglas, Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho, Numangatini Mackenzie, Toa Taihia, Tigilau Ness, Chris McBride panthers.liberationlibrary.nz

The Mural Project was inspired by Ness and McBride’s travel to the Black Panther Party 50th Anniversary celebrations in Oakland Ca. in 2016. The politically charged cultural and artistic landscape across Oakland and San Francisco created the seed to bring our stories alive with inspirational messaging, recognising past and future hopes and well-being in Auckland. The Mural will generate positive inspiration and hope for future generations to realise better outcomes for all.