“Text Matters: A Journal of Literature, Theory and Culture”, affiliated with the University of Lodz, invites submissions for issue 17 (2027), devoted to contemporary archival poetics. The issue is edited by Dr Wojciech Drąg (University of Wrocław) and Dr Elin Ivansson (Sheffield Hallam University).
The issue focuses on the literary, visual, and structural functions of the archive in creative practices. We are interested in texts that examine the archive as a form of organization, an aesthetic of fragmentation, a tool of memory and trauma, and as a multimodal structure. We are also interested in contributions that explore how the archive functions as a metaphor for examining historical and personal trauma, as well as analyses of the scope and legacy of the archival turn. We encourage submissions that incorporate perspectives on archival practices and imaginations from Western, global, decolonial and indigenous perspectives. The archive as structure, metaphor and aesthetics: from documentary poetry to digital databases, from lists and indexes to the visual compositions of graphic novels.
Important deadlines:
- Deadline for submission of the abstract 300 – 500 words): 31 January 2026
- Deadline for editors’ acceptance/rejection of proposals: 7 March 2026
- Deadline for submission of full articles (max. 6000 words): 7 September 2026
- Deadline for peer review and final acceptance/rejection of articles: 1 December 2026
- Deadline for submission of final versions of articles: 1 February 2027
An abstract should be submitted as an email attachment to the following e-mail addresses: wojciech.drag@uwr.edu.pl, elin.ivansson@mail.com, and text.matters@uni.lodz.pl.
In your email, please include your name, affiliation, e-mail address, the title of the proposal, abstract, 5 keywords and a brief bio note.
About the journal:
“Text Matters: A Journal of Literature, Theory and Culture” is an international and interdisciplinary scholarly journal published by the University of Lodz. Established at the initiative of Prof. Dorota Filipczak (1963–2021), it has since its inception engaged in current debates in the humanities, inviting scholars of literature, literary theory, cultural studies, gender studies, history, philosophy and religious studies to collaborate.
The journal focuses on textual realities, but contributions related to art, music, film and media studies addressing the text are also invited. Each issue contains a thematic section and additional sections with thematically related articles. Calls for these sections is run on a rolling basis, with no separate announcements or deadlines.
“Text Matters” also features reviews of recently published books, and interviews with writers and scholars whose work has been recognised in the areas addressed in TM. The journal is peer-reviewed (double-blind review) and published electronically as a reference journal. It is published by the Lodz University Press with the support of the Institute of English Studies and the Institute of Polish Philology, University of Lodz.
Twenty-six scientific articles were published in 2024. By the decision of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Text Matters is included in the list of ranked scientific journals and is currently awarded 70 points (January 2024).
We publishe articles in English in the following disciplines: literary studies, cultural and religious studies, art and media studies.
Detailed information, editorial guidelines and current announcements regarding the call for papers
