Special Issues and Dossiers

Special Issues and Dossiers

Nineteenth-Century French Studies welcomes proposals for special issues and dossiers that demonstrate those qualities that have long been the hallmark of the journal: rigor and depth of exposition; a balance of theory and textual analysis; and contributions from European and North American scholars, from junior and senior colleagues alike. For investigating a new field of study, for crossing disciplines, or for highlighting a certain line of inquiry, the Editorial Board invites expressions of interest for projects that stand to make significant contributions to our field's understanding of the long nineteenth century. Articles in English or French will follow MLA style and must not exceed 45,000 characters with spaces (including max.-150-word abstract, list of Works Cited, and endnotes).

Proposals, in English or in French, should include the following:

  • rationale (750–1,000 words);
  • names of the guest editor or editors;
  • the bilingual call for papers, to be published in the usual venues;
  • names of potential contributors—please indicate whether they have already committed to participating; and
  • a proposed calendar for carrying out the project, ending with the anticipated date of submitting the completed manuscript (in November or May).

The journal's Editorial and Advisory Boards will evaluate proposals for their potential impact on nineteenth-century French studies as well as their ability to address the above criteria.

Once a proposal is accepted in principle, the guest editor(s) should anticipate submitting the completed manuscript to the Editorial Board at ncfsarticles@gmail.com one year before the anticipated publication date. Members of the journal’s Editorial and Advisory Boards will then evaluate the manuscript and advise the Editor, with respect to the overall project as well as to each individual contribution. If a contribution is found to be unacceptable, the guest editor(s) may be invited to proceed without it if the overall volume is of appropriate length, or replace it with another text (which would then go through similar peer review). Consistent with the journal's practice, the Editor will only accept those articles that receive a positive peer review. Once accepted, the guest editor(s) and Editorial Board will work together to produce final copy suitable for publication.

Before submitting a proposal, colleagues are encouraged to consult current and recent projects:

Fueling the Nineteenth Century: Energy and Nineteenth-Century French Studies. Special dossier edited by Cary Hollinshead-Strick and Anne O’Neil-Henry. [CFP / to be published in vol. 53, nos. 3–4, spring–summer 2025]

Le théâtre social. Special dossier edited by Olivier Bara. [CFP / published in vol. 51, nos. 3–4, spring–summer 2023]

Race and Literature, 1848-1904. Special dossier edited by Daniel Desormeaux. [CFP / published in vol. 50, nos. 3–4, spring–summer 2022]

"la Commune n'est pas morte...". Special issue edited by Robert St. Clair and Seth Whidden. [CFP / published as vol. 49, nos. 3–4, spring–summer 2021; click here to purchase a copy]

Representing Royalty in the Nineteenth Century / Figures de la royauté au XIXe siècle. Special dossier edited by Paule Petitier. [CFP / published in vol. 47, nos. 3–4, spring–summer 2019]

Chateaubriand: Mapping the Post-Revolutionary World / Chateaubriand: cartographier le monde post-révolutionnaire. Special dossier edited by Jean-Marie Roulin. [CFP / published in vol. 46, nos. 3–4, spring–summer 2018]

For more information, please query the Editor.