Call for Papers

Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts

Volume 2, Number 1 (Autumn 2008)
"The Dynamics of Race and Incarceration: Social Integration, Social Welfare, and Social Control"

Papers must be received by March 21, 2008 to be considered for publication in this issue (Volume 2, Number 1).

Please send manuscript submissions to the editor: race-editor@osu.edu. See Style Guidelines to prepare your document in accordance with the style guidelines of Race/Ethnicity.

Submission of artwork for the cover that relates to the theme of the issue is welcome. See website at http://www.raceethnicity.org/coverart.html for submission guidelines.

The editorial staff of the new peer-reviewed journal Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts invites submissions for its third issue that will focus on “The Dynamics of Race and Incarceration: Social Integration, Social Welfare, and Social Control.” Race/Ethnicity maps the development of important themes in the field of race and ethnic studies by using a “classic” piece as a point of departure for a reconsideration of critical issues within the contemporary economic, political, and cultural terrain. The editorial staff is currently considering works for the “classic” piece and an announcement of the selection is forthcoming. In the meantime the editorial staff asks that contributors consider the following thoughts in preparation of their submission to this Call for Papers. While the classic piece establishes the thematic parameters of each issue, authors are under no obligation to actively engage the arguments posed by that work or by the following thoughts.

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Over the last several decades the global prison population has grown dramatically, outpacing the percentage rise in work population over the same period. Yet even as incarceration rates have climbed in most countries, they have declined in some and rates vary widely both across regions and within them.

If changes in crime rates alone generally do not well explain movements in prison population over time and it is well established that they do not, what other factors help to account for such movements within countries and for differences in rates and trends across countries and regions?

To what degree does (mass) incarceration serve as an alternative to social integration of populations marginalized by race, ethnicity, and other kinds of “racialized” social markers (e.g., class, religion, caste)?

Is imprisonment merely a form of social control, or does it have other functions?

What innovative forms of incarceration, or alternatives to incarceration, have emerged around the world and deserve broader emulation?

What advocacy strategies and policies hold the promise of reducing the number of incarcerated people while ensuring public safety and societal health?