Call 2026

Landscapes of the Mind: Ecocritical Perspectives and Cross-Cultural Encounters

English Studies is undergoing a profound transformation driven by cultural exchanges, technological innovation and an expanding need for inclusive, inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives. This issue investigates how emerging narratives and critical frameworks are reshaping our understanding of identity, environment and processes of translation.

Intersectionality and ecocriticism offer dynamic tools for addressing social and environmental (in)justice, questioning "dominator" and hierarchical paradigms, and foregrounding the interconnectedness of human and more-than-human worlds. These approaches share a commitment to equality and create fertile ground for multicultural and intercultural perspectives. Translation, in this context, becomes a transformative act that reimagines narratives and reconfigures relations of power and meaning.

Expanding this outlook, issue 26 thus explores the landscapes of the mind, the ways in which cultures perceive and narrate encounters through visual, sonic, linguistic, tactile, and multisensory ‘scapes’. Cultural exchange, syncretism and memory practices illuminate how identities and imaginaries are shaped through alterity, colonial legacies, and global flows. Indigenous epistemologies, oral traditions, and diasporic narratives further enrich our understanding of land, belonging, and relational worldviews.

We invite contributors to examine literature, culture, and translation as interconnected practices capable of fostering empathy, multisensory awareness and ethical engagement with contemporary challenges.

We therefore invite the submission of articles, interviews, reviews, and poetic works that resonate with the themes outlined above and are not necessarily limited to literatures in English. Le Simplegadi adopts a multilingual policy and promotes linguistic and cultural diversity; contributions in languages other than English are therefore welcome. Only submissions that follow the guidelines and are received by 31 May 2026 will be considered.

The guidelines can be found in the Editorial Norms section of the website. Articles must include an abstract in the language in which they are written, as well as an abstract in English (maximum 200 words each). To facilitate reading and reviewing, please submit contributions in RTF format to: simplegadi@uniud.it

All submissions must be accompanied by an email including a short author biography (maximum 100 words), email address, and mobile phone number.

The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2026.