‘Seeking Sanctuary’: Call for Papers from The Garage Journal

The Garage Journal has announced an open call for its Spring 2022 issue, Seeking Sanctuary. The issue will be edited by the journal in consultation with Iaroslav Volovod, a curator at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.

The journal is an independent interdisciplinary platform founded in 2019. It looks to advance critical discussions about contemporary art, culture, and museum practice in Russian and international contexts. The peer-reviewed journal publishes empirical, theoretical, and speculative research in a variety of genres, celebrating innovative ways to present research.

For its fifth issue, the journal is seeking contributions that respond to the theme of “Sanctuary.” Here "Sanctuary" has a multitude of meanings: it can mean a sacred or holy place, a place of refuge, an information bubble, the idea of hospitality toward strangers, or the imperial fantasy of "noble savages." Additionally, in the post-capitalist economy, "sanctuary" has been imagined as a reserve of beauty, peace, and harmony (i.e., a resort, retreat).

The following works are particularly welcome: those which explore the relationship between "the global" and "the intimate"; those which look for new ways for postcolonial theory to engage with the world; those which make use of (or supply a critique of) postcolonial theory, gender theory, or queer theory; and/or other critical approaches.

The key concepts and approaches guiding the open call are: ambivalence; borders and unbelonging; colonialism and post-colonialism; de-centralization; dissemination; empire; escapism; fluidity; "location of culture"; polycentrism; "regions" and locality; resistance; and securitization.

Apply by September 15, 2021 by sending the following in a single PDF file, in English, to GJ@garagemca.org:

• Contribution type (e.g., article, visual essay, data essay, interview, etc.)

• Language of contribution (English, German, or Russian)

• Title of contribution

• Abstract (no more than 300 words)

• Keywords that indicate the focus of the contribution (e.g., colonialism, post-colonialism, escapism, locality, etc.)

• Biographical information; a short biographical statement with a maximum of 100 words stating research interests, relevant professional experience, and a list of no more than 10 publications relevant to the themes of the special issue.

Learn more about the call here.