*CFP* "EUROPE'S ENDURING COLONIALITIES", SPECIAL ISSUE

We invite papers for a special issue exploring the relationship between European cultural politics and the ‘forgotten’ legacies of colonialism.

In the past decade the European project has been bruised by a number of challenges that have provoked difficult debates on the murky notion of ‘European’ values. In the context of these debates Europe ostensibly avoids the significance of its colonial legacies (see Paul Gilroy [2005], David Theo Goldberg [2006], Sandro Mezzadra [2006], Nicholas DeGenova [2016], Gurinder Bhambra [2016]). While an increasing number of scholars insist on the prevalence of what Derek Gregory has called the “colonial present,” Europe struggles to activate these ‘forgotten relations’ in the unpacking of its historical constitution, contemporary challenges and visions for the future.

We are seeking contributions that discuss colonial presences, shaping questions of belonging and identity in contemporary Europe and revealing how repressed colonial relations are reactivated in this context. Rather than remaining silent about the colonial legacies of the past, we are interested in instances in which ‘the forgotten’ or overlooked resurface as Europe’s enduring colonialities. We wish to reconsider the unequal legacy of colonialism as something that is not relegated to the past or to elsewhere, but that remains urgent and relevant for Europe’s cultural politics today.

This special issue aims to bring together insights from scholars, artists and activists working on the present past of the colonial in the European context. We seek to broaden ideas of what it means to be European in the light of these legacies, raising questions about the ways in which enduring colonialities are mediated and how Europe relates (or not) to this past. Ultimately, we are interested in channels of exchange between the once-colonizer and colonized, past and present, ‘inside’ and outside’, here and there, in order to consider ways of subverting Europe’s colonial repression and to re-engage forgotten relations.

Possible themes may explore but are not limited to the following ideas:

• Cultural mediation (media, film, art, music, dance, religious rites) 
• Digitizing culture (social media use, activism, etc.) 
• Cultural narratives (e.g. literature, children’s books, film) 
• Memory work (museum objects, artwork, memorials, commemorations) 
• Architecture (borders, cities, etc.) 
• Politics of insularity (nativism, right-wing populism, migration discourses) 
• Colonial showcasing (past and present exhibitions, concerts, events, etc.) 
• Racial masquerade (carnivals, cultural performance, popular festivals, etc.) 
• Body art (e.g. fashion, tattoos, hairstyles) 
• The politics of food 
• The politics of sports and games 
• Resistance and relationality

Please send title and abstract of no more than 300 words, and a short bio (100 words), along with a selection of key references no later than friday October 5th 2018.

Abstracts and enquiries should be sent to Stephen Turner and Jenny Stümer: europes.colonialities@gmail.com

A decision on papers for the final issue will be made shortly thereafter (November 2018). The full proposal will be ready by December 31, 2018 with articles (7000 – 8000 words, including references abstract, etc.), due by April 28, 2019.

Timeline:

Abstracts due: 5 October 2018

Invitation to submit: November 2018

Full Proposal: December 31, 2018

Articles due: April 28, 2019

Editors: Stephen Turner and Jenny Stümer