Special Issue Proposal: Irish Journal of Sociology

Call for Abstracts, Deadline: 31 January 2022

Title: Dynamics of Partition on the Island of Ireland

Guest Editors: Gerard Boucher & Iarfhlaith Watson, School of Sociology, University College Dublin 

This Special Issue focuses on the dynamics of partition on the Island of Ireland from a sociological perspective. Partition is treated as a durable yet contingent “social fact” that forms a non-agential boundary condition for fluid, often contested social processes from which collective and individual actions’ construct conditional societal outcomes at the everyday, organizational and institutional levels of each society, and between the societies of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The special issue seeks articles that provide sociological snapshots of the dynamics of partition after 100 years. 

Viewed as a whole, the historic events which resulted in partition continue to shape the two societies that emerged. While public commemorations, projects and exhibits have focused on present-day concerns of inclusivity and reconciliation, this special issue also provides an opportunity to consider the commonalities and differences in the dynamic, shifting societal impacts of partition within and between the societies north and south of the border. 

This call for abstracts is open to all scholars who are interested in considering an area of their expertise in terms of the influence of partition on the island. Although not essential, it is hoped to encourage collaborations between scholars with similar expertise in a particular area in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. 

While the call is open, prospective authors could consider focusing on a specific theme related to sociological topics including, but not limited to, the following: 

• Abortion
• Education
• Family
• Gender Equality
• Health Care
• Housing
• Immigration & Integration
• Irish Identity
• Irish Language
• Law
• LGBTQ+ Rights
• Local Communities
• Political Economy
• Race & Ethnicity
• Social Class 
• Social Media
• Sports
• Work & Employment

The IJS Board has approved this call for abstracts and submission of a special issue proposal with selected abstracts from this call. The selection of abstracts for the special issue proposal will be based on merit, fit with the special issue’s theme, consideration of the range of topics covered in the special issue, and coherence of the combined topics with respect to illustrating the theme. 

Abstracts of approximately 500 words, summarizing the proposed article and briefly describing its sections, should be sent to Gerard Boucher (gerard.boucher@ucd.ie) and Iarfhlaith Watson (iarfhlaith.watson@ucd.ie) by 31 January 2022. Informal enquiries prior to the submission of an abstract should be directed to Gerard Boucher. 

Abstracts submitted for the call for paper can be revised to fit the guidelines for submission to the SAI 2022 Annual Conference.

Author(s) will be notified of their inclusion in the special issue proposal by 11 February 2022, and the selected abstracts will be added to the special issue proposal sent to the IJS Board by 18 February 2022. 

If accepted by the IJS Board, author(s) will be expected to submit their articles of 8,000 words in total by 1 September 2022. 

Final versions of articles that are accepted and complete the IJS peer review process will be due by 1 February 2023, with the final submission of the special issue scheduled for 1 March 2023.

The guest editors also intend to host a one-day conference and launch of the special issue at UCD, ideally co-sponsored by the IJS and SAI, during which the authors can present their work and celebrate publication together. 

The hosting – and extent - of the conference and launch will depend on sufficient interest and available funding, with the ideal date of Tuesday, 24 May (the 100 year anniversary of the end of the Irish civil war), or another suitable date before 30 June 2023.

Proposed Timeline: 

• Abstract Deadline: 31 January 2022
• IJS Special Issue Proposal Submission: 18 February 2022
• If proposal accepted, deadline for article submission: 1 September 2022
• Review process and final article submission: 1 February 2023
• Special issue submission: 1 March 2023
• One-Day Conference & Launch of Special Issue: Tuesday 24 May 2023 (the 100 year anniversary of end of Irish civil war), or a suitable date before 30 June 2023.