CFP - Special Issue of Girlhood Studies: Indigenous Girls

Special Issue of Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
CALL FOR PAPERS: Indigenous Girls

The special issue of Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, “Indigenous Girls”, is open to diverse forms of expressions on the theme. These forms can include academic articles, short stories, personal essays, digital and other art media, and book reviews.

We are interested in academic papers that take a strengths-based approach to thinking about the lives of Indigenous girls and girlhood. We want to hear about how Indigenous girls are resisting stereotypes, thriving, taking a stand in their communities, and participating in social, communal or political action. We welcome papers on all aspects of Indigenous girlhood — but are particularly interested in ones that focus on health and wellbeing, social justice, resistance, self-determination, decolonization, environmental justice, parenting, relationships, sexuality, culture, agency, and pride and that explore the intersections of indigeneity and gender. Academic articles should be no more than 6,500 words in length (including bios and abstracts).

We also welcome short stories and narratives, which while scholarly in nature, employ a format allowing for reflexivity and storytelling across multiple disciplines. We invite visual essays, and other works of art or personal essays from self-identified Indigenous young women and girls including trans, Two Spirit and gender non-conforming grlz.

We also welcome book reviews (1500 words) that focus on Indigenous Girls.

GUEST EDITORIAL TEAM

The National Indigenous Young Women's Council (IYW) is a self-governed council of Indigenous young women under 30 years of age. It includes those who identify as Trans, Two-Spirit, and/or gender non-conforming. The Council works to provide leadership opportunities, community actions and mobilization, and skills-training and capacity building. With the support of the Native Youth Sexual Health Network (NYSHN) the Council also develops spaces for celebration, reclamation and cultural resurgence with a vision for future generations. The following two council members are accountable to liaising between and representing the IYW Council guest editorial team.

Kirsten Lindquist is Cree-Métis with mixed European settler ancestry, from rural northeast Alberta, currently working on a Master of Arts in Indigenous Governance. Through her governance project and community engagement, she is interested in learning about how we can support youth leadership and healthy relationships through social networks, while recognizing the importance of land and place-specific knowledge and interaction.

Kari-Dawn Wuttunee is a Cree woman from the Red Pheasant First Nation in Treaty Six Territory, who now resides in Saskatoon. Kari currently works with the Saskatoon Health Region as the Aboriginal Community Developer in the area of Primary Health. In this role Kari is able to advocate for Aboriginal wellness and health while working in teams of health professionals and providers. She is currently a youth regional director for the Native Women’s Association of Canada and represents youth for the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Women’s Circle Corporation. Through her experience in her community and her volunteer work with National Aboriginal Organizations she became aware of how neo-colonialism and racism often govern the decisions of Indigenous peoples’ rights. She works towards facilitating change, and restructuring at different levels of governing systems.

Sarah Flicker is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. She is engaged in an innovative program of research that focuses on participatory approaches to partnering with youth on HIV prevention, and support strategies. She is also interested in issues of environmental, sexual and reproductive justice and decolonization. Sarah uses community-based participatory methodologies in her research and is active on a variety of research teams that focus on adolescent sexual health with youth in Canada and South Africa. Her research has informed policy at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Sarah and her teams have won a number of prestigious awards for youth engagement in health research. She has worked closely with the Native Youth Sexual Health Network for the past six years and is proud to be considered an ally and advocate for Indigenous young women and girls.

DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 30 JANUARY 2015

Inquiries and submissions may be sent to:
Girlhood Studies (girlhood.studies@mcgill.ca)
Kirsten Lindquist (lindkirs@gmail.com)
Sarah Flicker (sarflick@gmail.com)

Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal is published and distributed in print and online by Berghahn Journals. Visit GHS online for further details, including submission guidelines: www.journals.berghahnbooks.com/ghs.