The Americanist, vol. 27 (2012)

Regionalism and American Studies

The motto e pluribus unum affirms the belief that out of many colonies came one nation. The reality, though, is that the United States became a nation with many regions, each with very distinctive traditions, cultures, history, politics, religious orientation, accents, and cuisines. The editors of The Americantist invite submissions—from a variety of scholarly perspectives, including but not limited to literary, historical, sociological, and political—that explore the issue of regionalism in the study of the United States. Questions to be considered include, what were the sources of regional identity? What structures and institutions perpetuate regional identity? In what ways, did/does popular culture reinforce regional stereotypes? In what ways does the construction of gender, race, and/or class vary from region to region? Case studies that focus on particular aspects of a region as well as close analysis of a particular text, tradition, political debate, etc. are welcome. And, of course, the editors solicit essays that challenge the underlying assumption of the preceding questions: does region really matter in studying the United States?

Articles submitted should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words inclusive of notes and bibliography. They should be prepared according the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th Edition. Please send manuscripts as e-mail attachments (in Word or WordPerfect) to: the_americanist@uw.edu.pl. Articles should be double-spaced, with standard margins and font and should include a cover page, with the title, author's name, institutional affiliation, email address, and postal address. The text of the essay should have its title only, without the author's name.

DEADLINES: 1 March 2011