General Call for Papers: peer-reviewed journal invites submissions of scholarly articles

JICMS is an English-language forum for theoretical, methodological and critical debate on Italian film and media production, reception and consumption. It provides a platform for dialogue between academics, filmmakers and cinema and media professionals. This peer-reviewed journal invites submissions of scholarly articles relating to the artistic features, cultural themes, international influence and history of Italian film and media. Furthermore, the journal intends to revive a critical discussion on the auteurs, revisit the historiography of Italian cinema and celebrate the dynamic role played by new directors. The journal includes a book and film review section as well as notes on Italian film festivals abroad and international conference reports.

The profound transformation undergone by the rapidly expanding media environment under the impact of digital technology has lead scholars in the field of media studies to elaborate new theoretical paradigms and methodological approaches to account for the complexities of a changing landscape of convergence and hybridization. The boundaries between cinema and media as art forms and fields of inquiry are increasingly hybridized too. Taking into account this evolving scenario, JICMS provides an international arena for critical engagement with a wider range of issues related to the current media environment. The journal welcomes in particular contributions that discuss any aspect of Italian media production, distribution and consumption within national and transnational, social, political, economic and historical contexts.

Within the realm of a post-national and trans-cultural debate, the purpose of JICMS is to refer to Italy as the unifying site for a contemporary discussion on translocal cinema. The journal aims to elaborate a multifaceted definition of Italian cinema, transcending geo-ethnic land and sea borders and moving away from merely celebratory local cinematic experiences. Therefore, the journal also devotes attention to Italophone filmmakers and diasporic, accented or exilic cinema. JICMS is also interested in the artistic intersections between Italian and other international cinemas.

JICMS also invites submissions that examine experimental cinema, video art, short films, long/short feature and documentary animation, original and adapted screenplays, film music (songs and scores), issues of stardom and reception studies. The professional contributions of screenplay writers, art directors, cinematographers, film editors, costume designers and make-up artists are also potential subject areas for submissions.

Interested contributors should send: (1) a 500-word abstract outlining the topic, approach and theoretical bases; (2) the relevant bibliography and filmography and (3) 200-word biographical notes (listing academic publications) to the editor.

Journal contributors will receive a free PDF copy of their final work upon publication. Print copies of the journal may also be purchased by contributors at half price.

Special Issue Call for Papers

Call for Contributions – ‘Doctoral Dissertations’ column

The Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies invites contributions for a new column about recent doctoral dissertations. The column is designed to keep scholars and teachers up to date regarding the defence and publication of graduate research into any aspect of Italian cinema and/or media studies while promoting access to an emerging generation of international scholarship. Depending on the number of submissions, the column may publish up to three entries per issue. Proposals are welcome for dissertations defended during the past two years.

Entries will appear in the form of short dissertation abstracts and will include the following information: dissertation title, author name, current e-mail address, degree-granting department and school, advisor name and affiliation, ISBN or equivalent identification number, abstract (500 words maximum) and biographical note (100 words maximum). Abstracts will be written in a way that focuses directly on the historical and/or theoretical intervention, including presentation of primary sources, methodology and conclusions. Entries for dissertations written in languages other than English are encouraged, and the column curator will work together with international authors where translation is required.

For inquiries and submissions, write to Jim Carter (jimrc@umich.edu).

Jim Carter holds a Ph.D. in Italian from the University of Michigan and is currently working on a book about industrial culture at Olivetti (1930s through 1950s). His essays on cultural studies have appeared in international publications like Modern Italy and Italian Culture, and he is the co-editor (with Carlo Baghetti and Lorenzo Marmo) of the forthcoming volume Italian Industrial Literature and Film (Peter Lang, Italian Modernities Series). In 2018–19, he was a fellow of the American Academy in Rome.