Prestigious publication of the National Women's Studies Association
comes to Iowa State.
Publication of the first issue of the National Women's Studies Association
(NWSA) Journal by Iowa State University won't occur until the fall
of 2003.
Despite the delay, work by the new editorial staff is well underway.
The NWSA Journal, the flagship publication of the National Women's
Studies Association, will be hosted by Iowa State for the next five years
beginning in the fall of 2003. The Journal provides a forum that
fosters research and dialogue among those dedicated to feminist education
and change. The Indiana University Press publishes the publication three
times a year.
"The Journal doesn't move here until next fall, but we're already working
hard on the first few issues," said Brenda Daly (pictured), professor
of English and editor-in-chief of the Journal. "It takes approximately
a year to 18 months for the planning for each issue."
Daly and her staff are currently making plans for the first few issues,
including focusing on special topics. Plans are underway for Iowa State's
special issue will concentrate on women and science. At least once a year,
the Iowa State staffers hope that the Journal can look at other topics
for special issues including racism and women in poverty.
"A lot of journals take a particular topic for an issue and look at
it from multiple perspectives," Daly said. "But few journals examine
women’s concerns from multiple disciplinary perspectives."
Such an approach is essential for a publication such as the NWSA Journal.
The Journal publishes interdisciplinary scholarship that links feminist
research, theory and interpretation in all fields.
"It's a challenge to get individuals to submit to this type of a journal,
particularly to get them to write for a publication beyond from their specific
disciplines," Daly said. "Not only does this journal require writers
to have interdisciplinary knowledge, it also expects them to write for a
broad academic audience."
Daly and her staff plan to put out a call for papers in a variety of disciplines,
including the humanities and social sciences.
More than just the topics will change when the Journal makes its home at
Iowa State. Daly hopes the publication will look at flash points and get
junior and senior scholars to respond to those issues in subsequent issues.
"We're excited to make this journal more dynamic not only through the
printed publication but with web sites and chat rooms," she said. "We
really want to have a voice in controversial and important issues.
"The NWSA Journal is interested in not only feminist theories
but also in social activism of the women's movement. This publication will
address these tensions in a way not all journals do."
Kathy Johnston, lecturer in the Department of English, who will serve as
the managing editor, will join Daly on the staff of the NWSA Journal.
Jacquelyn Litt, associate professor of sociology, and Amy Bix, associate
professor of history, have been named managing editors. Leslie Bloom, associate
professor of curriculum and instruction is the book editor.
All of these faculty members are associated with the Women's Studies Program
at Iowa State, which is coordinated by Jill Bystydzienski, professor of
sociology. Bystydzienski is a consulting editor of the Journal.
Iowa State will be the fourth institution of higher education to house the
NWSA Journal. The publication currently resides with Appalachian
State (N.C.) University and has been previously edited by The Ohio State
University and the University of New Hampshire.
Funding has been provided by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research,
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Department of English and
the Women's Studies Program.
