Disappearance

The phenomenon of disappearance has been a persistent and traumatic aspect of violence across the globe, from the 1970s Argentine dictatorship to contemporary acts perpetrated by both state and non-state actors. In particular, enforced disappearance, an egregious form of political violence, is both a strategy and a legacy of violence deeply intertwined with historical processes such as slavery, colonialism, Cold War-era repression, sexual slavery, and the silencing of ecological and environmental activism. Today, it stands as a grave human rights violation and a permanent form of torture.

Despite a relatively robust international framework, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2010) and the work of UN bodies, a gap remains in the academic and policy realms: the embodied, psychological, and societal impact of disappearance on victims’ families, communities, and societies.The Journal of Disappearance Studies seeks to address this gap by inviting submissions that explore disappearance from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives. It focuses on the collective dimensions of human disappearance, especially enforced disappearance, but also on its consequences at the more than human level (e.g. cultural and environmental levels).

This journal aims to break new ground by providing a platform for research that unearths and critiques the socio-political, cultural and economic factors shaping the dynamics of disappearance. We welcome submissions that are grounded in rigorous empirical research and thoughtful theoretical exploration, with an explicit engagement with policy, practice, and the everyday impact of disappearance. The Journal of Disappearance Studies welcomes the submission of original and review articles, interviews with artists, policymakers, practitioners, survivors and families along with book reviews. The journal brings together academics, policymakers, practitioners, families of the disappeared, victim-centred organisations, as well as artists and cultural producers for the co-production of interventions aimed at bringing about societal, instrumental and academic impact. The publication of ethical frameworks for the researching and teaching of disappearance as a pedagogical and public concern is also welcomed.

The journal seeks to publish contributions from all regions of the world. The journal highlights studies on the disappeared across diverse disciplines and fields of study and encourages transdisciplinary approaches to the study of disappearance. It is open to submissions from Sociology, Humanities, International Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Legal Studies, Anthropology, History and the Arts. Papers that engage with both historical and contemporary instances of disappearance are encouraged, particularly those that interrogate the lived experiences of individuals and communities affected by it. The Journal of Disappearance Studies will publish one special issue a year, highlighting themes showcased in the annual conference of the Disappearance Studies Network.

We welcome contributions that advance our collective understanding of the following key themes and explore new avenues for research, policy advocacy, and practice in addressing the legacies and ongoing tragedies of disappearance:

• Human Rights violations, including the responsibility of states, state-backed actors and non-state armed groups;
• Responses within the frameworks of domestic legal regimes, International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law;
• Forensic techniques in the search for the disappeared;
• Transitional justice and the rights of victims of disappearance to justice, truth, reparation and nonrecurrence;
• Historical perspectives on disappearances;
• Psychological and emotional impact of disappearances;
• Social and political impact of disappearances;
• International solidarity and advocacy against disappearances;
• Activism and resistance in relation to disappearances;
• Gender and feminist perspectives on disappearances;
• The evolving dynamics of emerging forms of disappearance;
• Artistic responses to disappearances;
• Philosophical approaches to understanding disappearances;
• Theoretical framing of disappearances.

The Journal of Disappearance Studies publishes the following formats:

• Original research articles
• Review articles
• Interviews
• Poems, short essays, visual art and other artistic pieces
• Policy articles: Short policy briefings that explore key developments in policy design and implementation and may include policy recommendations
• Book reviews

See our author instructions for further information.

Special issues

The Journal of Disappearance Studies invites prospective guest editors to submit proposals for a Special Issue/ Symposia. We will publish one special issue per year. Please contact the editors at jds-editorial(at)bristol.ac.uk to discuss your proposal.

Co- Editors in Chief

Bahar Baser, Durham University, UK Roddy Brett, University of Bristol, UK Élise Féron, Tampere University, Finland Verónica Hinestroza Arenas, Associate Expert, Omega Research Foundation, Colombia

Call for Papers (Link)