Call for Contributors for July 2018 Issue, “Protest Summer”

The Activist History Review invites proposals for our July 2018 issue, “Protest Summer.”

Things tend to heat up over the summer months—including our politics. From the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381 to the 2016 protests in Baton Rouge and St. Paul, summer has often been a time when marginalized and oppressed peoples take to the streets. Public representations of these protests have historically played an outsized roll in shaping systems of law and governance.

This summer marks the 150^th anniversary of the election campaigning of 1868, during which many formerly enslaved people organized, marched, and voted for the first time. This year also marks the 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign, during which he was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The summer protests that swept the nation following King’s death marked a crucial turning point in our nation’s struggle with racial justice.

The Activist History Review invites proposals that address the past, present, and future of protest movements. What role do movements like these play in shaping our political culture? How can we transform these moments of groundswell into lasting, democratic change? Special consideration will be given to essays that consider change from below—how grassroots movements offer renewal and the potential to more fully embrace democracy.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Historic summer protests
• Crackdowns and backlash
• Defining “acceptable” protest
• Protest and democracy
• Transnational connections
• Protest in the era of “fake news”
• Making consequence(s) of racial capitalism visible

Proposals should be no more than 250 words for articles from 1250-2000 words and should be emailed to William Horne at horne(dot)activisthistory(at)gmail(dot)com by Monday, June 18th at 11:59 PM. Please also include a short bio of no more than 100 words.