HomeThe Publisher’s Discourse
The Publisher’s Discourse
Les discours de l’éditeur
Published on Friday, April 20, 2018
Abstract
Announcement
Direction
Under the direction of Anthony Glinoer (U. de Sherbrooke) and Julien Lefort-Favreau (Queen’s University)
Argument
This issue aims to enrich knowledge and analyses of the words and discourse of publishers, that is to say, of those individuals who are responsible for the development, production and distribution of books or periodicals. We will adopt here a trans-national and trans-historic perspective (19th to 21st centuries) at the junction of the sociology of publishing, of cultural history and of intellectual history in order to identify points of convergence amongst various case studies. In what ways have publishers revealed themselves through their words and in writing since their debut as social figures in the 19th century through to their contemporary incarnations? How has the place of publishers in literary, intellectual and editorial fields been constructed by discourses that accompany the act of publishing? The objective is to update a corpus that until now has often been reduced to its evidential value and been given little consideration by historians or literary critics, and to identify what publishers can teach us concerning contact zones between intellectual and economic life. What were the forms and methods of publishers’ interventions in their era’s political, intellectual and commercial debates?
In order to analyze the enunciation strategies of publishers, contributors may choose among several forms of texts, including 1) autobiographical accounts, memoires, letters, and reflections on lessons learned; 2) public statements (manifestos, pamphlets, petitions); 3) media interventions (television, radio, written interviews, magazine articles; 4) paratexts (prefaces, back cover blurbs, etc.). Synchronic and diachronic approaches are welcome, in as much as the case studies result in reflections of a broader scope.
Proposals for articles can fall within the following two reflection frameworks:
- The publisher within the literary field: What do publishers have to say about the book market, about legislative conditions, cultural politics and commercial practices that govern them? How can these stances be related to the state of the literary field and to the position of the publisher within it? Publishers’ public discourses also shed light on the tension between the collective pronouncement and the singularity regime inherent to the study of the literary field. How do publishers justify their dual status as both lettered and business individuals at the same time? This facet of our consideration aims to capture the conditions surrounding the practice of their profession and their specific role as essential mediators in the book chain, based on their public positions.
- Publishers in society: How do publishers construct their social function through discourse? We seek to interrogate their political independence through studies of their remarks concerning historical events, power struggles amongst social, sexual or ethnic groups. By the commercial choices that they make, by the causes that they embrace, by the texts that they accept or refuse, publishers shape ideas in their society. To what degree do publishers perceive themselves as agents of social change? What are the limits of their interventions?
Submission guidelines
Submissions for papers in French or in English consisting of an abstract of approximately 250 words as well as a short biographical note should be emailed to Anthony Glinoer (Anthony.Glinoer@USherbrooke.ca)
by April 25, 2018.
The editorial committee will evaluate proposals and inform authors of its decision at the end of April 2018. Papers whose proposals have been accepted should be submitted by September 15, 2018. They will then undergo a blind peer review. Final versions are to be submitted by January 30, 2019 at the latest. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019.
Subjects
Date(s)
- Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Keywords
- éditeur, discours, histoire du livre, sociologie
Contact(s)
- Joanie Grenier
courriel : mdl-sbc [at] usherbrooke [dot] ca
Reference Urls
Information source
- Joanie Grenier
courriel : mdl-sbc [at] usherbrooke [dot] ca
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« The Publisher’s Discourse », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Friday, April 20, 2018, https://doi.org/10.58079/1039
