Callaloo invites complete submissions for a special issue devoted to the interdisciplinary examination of sports guest edited by Eric Henderson (Stratagem Entertainment), Miya Knights (Middleton-On-Sea, UK), John McCluskey, Jr. (Indiana University), and Pellom McDaniels III (Emory University).

Project Description

It should come as no surprise that someone like Colin Kaepernick has emerged from the age of President Barack Obama, inspired, empowered, and ready to use his influence to challenge the status quo.  Choosing to stand up (or rather take a knee) in protest of the killing of African Americans by law enforcement, the twenty-eight-year-old former starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers has become the firebrand for a new generation of activist-athlete.  A student of history, Kaepernick has taken it upon himself to become a change agent, using what he has at his disposal as a public figure to influence the thinking and actions of the masses.  He has set himself apart as a model of selflessness and heroism.

While sports have occupied the global imagination as a source of entertainment, enlightenment, and, above all, opportunity, historically we have seen the importance of black athletes using their celebrity to bring attention to the ills which haunt black life around the world.  In fact, from the beginning of the twentieth century to today, there have been numerous individuals who have challenged both directly and indirectly the “isms” responsible for shaping North American, European, and South American cultures.  While most of these moments involve people of African descent competing against whites in an attempt to claim victory in the arena, and the financial rewards and social mobility that coincided, the greater goal of these black athletes was to claim their humanity and citizenship, and a place for their race in society through their performances on, for example, the playing field or the court.

The guest editors are seeking unpublished and complete critical articles, creative essays, poems, interviews, creative personal narratives, and visual art on “Sports as Art, as Resistance” from a variety of critical, creative, and interpretive perspectives. Specific topics, themes, subject matter may include, but are not limited to:

— black aesthetics in sports performances; the blues, jazz, and hip-hop impulse

— the body and labor; anti-colonialism

— gender studies; black masculinity and black femininity

— framing identity; nation-hood and citizenship

— the homoerotic; the black male body as fetish

— second sight; artistic representations through art, poetry, performances

— liminal spaces; the built environment, meanings associated with sports performances

— narratives of resistance; historical/archival evidence

Callaloo Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts must be submitted online through the Callaloo manuscript submission system by August 31, 2018. Please see the submission guidelines here:

http://callaloo.expressacademic.org/login.php.

In order to submit a manuscript, you must register with the online system. The registration process will take only a few minutes.  All manuscripts will follow the usual review process for submissions, and the Callaloo editor makes all final editorial decisions. Please note that all academic or critical manuscripts must follow the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd Edition) and include in-text citations, a works cited, and endnotes for any commentary.