Queen: a journal of rhetoric and power is soliciting papers for a new volume dedicated to exploring the rhetorics of medicine and curing. Deadline for submissions will be 31 May 2003, which can include an abstract only (but a full text and abstract would be preferred).

The editors invite submissions of essays focusing upon the rhetorical practices used in medicine. If we understand medicine as one social construct of a variety of possible curative practices, we can begin to ask questions concerning the overall function, purpose and goal of these systems of curing. What values, assumptions, judgments shape medical practices? How is medical knowledge shaped? What role does medicine play in a society? What is the relationship between community and individual in the medical encounter? What constitutes health? What constitutes illness? What is curing? What rhetorical features (narrative, argumentation, audiences, contexts) can be identified as determining and shaping knowledge about people, medicine and health? How have these rhetorical practices changed over time? How do they differ between cultures? Are miracles medical? Exorcisms?

Other questions to be pondered could and should approach the curative encounter from the patient perspective: How do patients contribute to the encounter? What assumptions do they bring? What are their experiences? How do they shape them and share them? What influences does their rhetoric of healing bring to medical practices? How has the role of patient changed over time?

We invite scholars from the field of medical ethics, bioethics, rhetoric of science, anthropology, culture criticism, literature, and history of medicine to submit traditional academic analyses, reports, first-person narratives, multi-media presentations, and we encourage submissions that take the fullest advantage of our publishing medium.

The issue is not limited to any one time period or any particular culture, but can include, for example, analyses of ancient healing rituals in classical antiquity, religious miracles traditions, christian science, modern medical research rhetorics. Historical and cross cultural perspectives are also welcome.

Because Queen is an online journal, we are especially interested in proposals that will take advantage of multimedia and hypertext formats. We accept standard academically formatted essays, but we also encourage all other communication modes and genres.

If accepted, you will be asked to submit a photo of yourself and a brief blurb about yourself. See our website and journal for examples.

Queen seeks to rejuvenate rhetoric studies, gender studies, culture-historical studies, and religious studies by experimenting with cross-inter-sections of these disciplines. Queen seeks to explore the ways in which power shapes people and people shape power. Direct all inquiries, proposals, and completed work via email.