An important forum for emerging research areas

"The journal focuses on innovative, interdisciplinary cultural research in the broadest sense of the word the journal was created to provide an arena for a wide range of interdisciplinary cultural studie. It is open to contributions from all over the world and all branches of the cultural studies field", says Eva Hemmungs Wirtén.

"We must maintain an open and inclusive dialogue"

To celebrate the 15 years there will be a symposium in Norrköping, December 5 2024. It is public and open to anyone, but will be of particular interest to scholars, students, and members of the public who recognize that culture, cultural research, and high-quality Open Access publishing are critical for the preservation of democracy today and tomorrow.

"In order to ensure the future of democracy, we must maintain an open and inclusive dialogue about the challenges we face in cultural work, research, and publishing, and how to safeguard against the rise of illiberalism that threatens free speech and human rights. This symposium is designed to foster just such a public dialogue at a critical juncture", says Victoria Martinez.

Isak Hammar about: Academic Publishing

One of the main speakers at the symposium is Isak Hammar, Associate Professor of History and a researcher at the Department of History, Lund University.

"I will talk about the audience and readership of academic journals both from a historical and a contemporary perspective, and how this relates to the theme of the symposium the future of democracy. I think many researchers today struggle with best practice concerning academic publishing, where to publish your work and for whom to write. Do we envision a broad, learned audience or do we primarily want experts in our field to read our work? The topic of my talk seems to be very much at the heart of Culture Unbound and the anniversary presents a great opportunity to discuss the role of academic journals today and in the future", says Isak Hammar.

"I am excited about the opportunity to discuss with the other participants how we – through and in academic publishing – can contribute to affirming and renewing democratic principles in sight of the deterioration of classical notions of the modern state and representative democracy within post-truth and libertarian regimes."

Rebekka Kiesewetter thinks that Culture Unbound’s commitment to gold open access standards, an interdisciplinary approach, and to diversity, equity, and experimentation are great. She is the other main speaker at the symposium.

"I really appreciate how the question posed in its first issue, 'What’s the use of cultural research?', remains somewhat programmatic. This is especially visible in some of the issues that do only discuss and represent topics related to educational and academic politics, but – through experimenting with publishing methods, formats, and editorial strategies – also grapple with the politics of being a scholar and, for that matter, a scholarly community in an increasingly troubled and troubling world."

In her talk at the symposium, she will discuss her guest-editorship for the special issue ‘Publishing after Progress’ of Culture Machine journal. This role involved experimenting with open peer review, responsive workflows, and flexible timelines. She also wants to highlight the tension between institutional expectations and scholars' values and expertise, considering issues like academic inequalities, planetary emergencies, the erosion of democracy, and attacks on the humanities.

Can you give an example of this subject in our everyday life, today?

"The experience of a tension between the necessity of job compliance – promising job security and professional success – and the desire to engage in work that is both personally fulfilling and beneficial to society is not specific to our times. However, this tension might be more pronounced today amidst the poly-crisis and humanitarian and planetary emergencies. Especially in Western societies where individualistic values emphasise personal fulfilment and career success, the psychological and emotional effects of this tension can extend beyond the workplace. Work in these contexts is central to constructing identity, agency, and self-esteem, with purpose and meaning often inherently tied to the work environment rather than found externally."