In times of crisis and social change, the question of the future can become increasingly pressing. Amidst the threat of continued economic recession, extensive budget cuts, and the growing intrusion of government into the sphere of academic research, it is understandable that the future has become shrouded in discussions of impending catastrophe and the indisputable sensation that things can only be getting worse. This edition explores this by asking how the future is being represented and played out in the contemporary social world. It asks how we, as social scientists, theorise futures in times of apparent social crisis and change, and asks how these dynamics may affect our methodological and epistemological approaches. Must we always strive for ‘positive’ futures? And what could come out of a social science driven by ‘negativity’? We therefore welcome papers that reflect upon the following topics:

• Theories of futurities
• Theorising futurities in times of social crisis and change
• Problematising apocalyptic / utopian models for theorising futurities
• Representations of the future in the contemporary social world
• The role of the future in social science methodology and epistemology

Submissions: Articles (5000-8000 words), book reviews (1000-1500 words), short essays (2000-3000 words) and visual materials are all welcome, as well as any information on seminars, lectures, conferences, blogs and other events and spaces offering new platforms for the understanding of futurities within the social sciences. Please include an abstract, short author bio and 3-5 key words.

Deadline for all contributions is Monday 16th January 2012. Details of submission guidelines and formatting instructions can be found on the website at http://www.gjss.org/index.php?/gjss.org-Submission-of-Articles.html. Please email all contributions and enquiries to the Chief Editors of GJSS, Alexa Athelstan and Rosemary Deller, at editors@gjss.org.

Suggestions and enquiries regarding book reviews should be directed to Book Review Editor, Melissa Kelly at Melissa.kelly@kultgeog.uu.se.