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Call for Young Scholars

The International Spectator aims to provide academics, practitioners, opinion- and decision-makers, as well as interested laymen with thought-provoking, analytically sound, theoretically informed and policy-oriented research articles, opinion essays and book reviews on foreign policy issues. Topics cover the entire spectrum of international affairs, from ongoing international politics, economics and security affairs to rising questions on the international agenda such as climate and energy, global migration and development.

In order to encourage the contribution of new generations of scholars to the scientific debate, The International Spectator currently welcomes the submission of proposals for THEMATIC SPECIAL CORES of 4-6 articles on the topic of Sport and International Relations by teams of young scholars (under 35 years of age), to be considered for publication in the journal.

Proposals shall focus on any aspect of the multifaceted relationship between Sport and International Relations. Possible angles include (but are certainly not limited to):

  • Large sporting events such as the Olympics as arenas for the display of global (soft) power or political contestation;
  • The recognition (or contestation) of states’ sovereignty and legitimacy through the participation (or lack thereof) in international sports competitions and organisations;
  • The role of transnational sport governance organisations like the International Olympic Committee, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association or the Women’s Tennis Association as political actors in International Relations in their own right;
  • The construction, reinforcement and manipulation of social norms and identities at the national and international level through sporting practices and events;
  • Supporters’ groups as national and international networks to be mobilised and controlled by power-holders and/or potentially anti-systemic forces;
  • The international political economy of large sporting events and mega-infrastructure projects and related investment flows;
  • The use of sport as a site for the promotion of human rights and gender equality by state and non-state actors and its limitations;
  • The contribution of (elite) sport to the reinforcement of gendered and/or racist conceptions and representations of state power and nationalism as well as universalist claims around women’s (and men’s) bodies;
  • Global hierarchies and the role of sport in the history of decolonisation and of Western-led globalisation, resistance to it and the emergence of alternative, postcolonial models of sporting practices.

All special core proposals must address the topic from a well-defined perspective. They must include a coherent set of 4-6 articles that contribute to moving the understanding of the topic forward. Proposals including an opening theoretical article followed by specific case studies are welcome.

The contributions must be authored by young scholars from a number of different countries and institutions; except for the opening article (introducing the relevant topic), multiple articles by the same author(s) or co-author(s) are not accepted. All authors must be under 35 years of age on the closing date of this call except for the opening article of the core, which can be co-authored by a young and a senior scholar.

Each proposal should include:

  • A title clearly stating the subject matter and the chosen approach
  • Rationale (500 words, outlining the scope and significance of the proposed topic and approach)
  • A list of contributions (from 4 to 6) including, for each article, a short abstract (100 words) and the name(s), affiliation(s) and bio(s) of the author(s).
  • The proposed timeline for the submission of the full set of papers to the journal editors
  • Any further relevant information (multimedia, promotional opportunities, e.g. relevant conferences)

The editors and the editorial board of the journal will select the successful proposals based on their quality, originality and completeness.

Please note that the acceptance of a special core does not entail acceptance of all individual contributions.

Each article (7000 to 8000 words in length) will go through a peer review process as do all individual submissions, following the journal’s guidelines.

Proposals for special cores should be sent to tis(at)iai.it by January, 31st, 2022. Please do not hesitate to contact The International Spectator for any pre-submission inquiries.