Submissions

The Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures (JOLCEL) is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes one to two issues per year in open access. We publish both thematic and miscellaneous issues. Miscellaneous issues bundle individual articles that we first publish as advance articles. These advance articles receive stable DOIs and page numbers from the moment they are ready for publication, which assures faster publication. Our format for thematic issues is dialogical and combines three to five articles with a reaction by a respondent.

JOLCEL offers a platform for research on the history of European literature from the perspective of Latin literature as a transnational and cosmopolitan influence. We encourage contributions on Latin literature throughout the ages and on the literatures and literary cultures in which Latin played a role, either as a language, a literature, an educational system, or as a literary culture. Furthermore, we invite articles that treat similar cosmopolitan languages and literatures that can shed a light on the history of Latin.

Contributions to the journal treat topics that cross traditional chronological and linguistic boundaries. From the first century AD to roughly the eighteenth century, Latin remained a strong undercurrent in European history. It functioned as the standard equipment of European authors and their readers. Through its constant interactions with other languages with cosmopolitan standing (Greek, Arabic and Hebrew) and with the rapidly changing literary production in the vernaculars, Latin strongly defined Europe’s literary identity.

The dialogical approach to European literary identity is reflected in the journal’s format. Papers are clustered in groups of three based on a common question, but regarded from the viewpoints of different historical periods and/or literatures. For each group, a specialist on the subject reflects upon the papers in an additional contribution. This respondent looks for connections and differences and places the insights in a broader perspective. In this way, we establish a dialogue between voices that rarely come into contact in traditional academic structures. The respondents moderate the ongoing debate and guarantee the journal’s place at the frontiers of research.

Thematic issues

Next to individual submissions, we also welcome proposals for thematic issues that bring together three to five articles. Please send us an email at relics@ugent.be with the following information:

• Names and contact details of every contributor
• 100 words about the theme
• Titles and 100-word abstracts of every contribution
• Optional: the name of a respondent. You can also leave this to us.

You will be informed of acceptance or rejection of your proposal within a month. At that time, we will also propose a timing for publication.

We welcome thematic issues on the whole range of periods and subjects that JOLCEL covers, which also means the other cosmopolitan literatures of Europe that come into touch with Latin. If you are uncertain about whether a theme would fit our journal, do not hesitate to contact us and tell us about your idea.

RELICS

The journal is closely linked to the activities of the research network RELICS (Researchers of European Literary Identity, Cosmopolitanism and the Schools), which aims to develop a large international network of researchers interested in these themes. Since January 2021, RELICS is the coordinator of a broader research unit, entitled “Literatures without Borders. A Historical-Comparative Study of Premodern Literary Transnationality.” The focus of this project is on premodern literatures after Antiquity with a transnational character and within the geographical boundaries encompassing North Africa, the Middle East and Europe: Latin, Byzantine Greek, Arabic and Hebrew-Yiddish-Ladino.