Call for Papers – ‘New Contree’
Call for Papers – New Contree
New Contree seeks scholarly articles on local and regional histories in Southern Africa, Africa, and beyond. We welcome inclusive, multidisciplinary-like research that highlights community voices, explores comparative perspectives, and advances fresh methodological and historiographical approaches. Join the conversation on the rich interplay of local, regional, and global histories.
Watch this video for a step-by-step guide on submitting to the journal—while demonstrated on a different journal, the process remains the same!
Please see the focus and scope below for more details
New Contree serves as a scholarly voice and platform for instilling and disseminating specific and comparative local and regional history debate in Africa and its value in broader, transnational contexts. New Contree’s intellectual repertoire compliments a rigorous theoretically reflexive social history in which inclusivity in reconstructing the past from ‘below’ (ordinary people’s voice, and acknowledging smaller community activities) and also from ‘above’ (be informed on related actions, for example, central authority, government and national figures) matters. Change occurs through the interaction of major decisive events and the rhythm of seemingly trivial, prosaic, and almost discreet courses of daily life. New Contree aims to publish high-quality academic articles that address research on the history of regions and localities in Southern Africa in particular, but also in Africa and other parts of the world, especially from a comparative angle. Any aspect of the activity, topic or/and phenomenon in urban, rural, social, cultural, health, environmental, economic, and political life locally, regionally, or/and in other global contexts is of interest. The New Contree also welcomes contributions on regions and localities, contributing towards, and emanating from, refreshed methodological, theoretical and historiographical views. Changing research approaches in local and regional histories to facilitate community knowledge systems towards co-arriving at a broader understanding of sustainable environments is encouraged, and scholarly reporting is welcomed. Multidisciplinary-like research in histories of localities and regions – with a vision to also provide a comprehensive understanding through the methodologies of other disciplines – is accommodated and encouraged. New Contree also supports review articles and book reviews related to regional and local history. Researchers from any academic institution are encouraged to communicate with the New Contree Editorial Advisory Board if they are interested in acting as guest editors for a supplementary issue.
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Historic data
The journal was established in January 1977 under the former Institute of Historical Studies of the Human Science and Research Council as Contree. At the time, its establishment was viewed as: ‘…an important development in co-ordinating and advancing regional historical research in the [Republic of South Africa] RSA, since it creates a channel whereby interested persons will be able to discuss matters of mutual interest and through which guidance can be given to those anxious to study in this field. At the same time, Contree will serve as a medium for recording and publishing research results’. Also, the need was expressed that: ‘… fragmentary attempts by various people and organizations to write local and regional history should be co-ordinated’ (From: ‘Editorial’, Contree: Journal for South African urban and regional history, 1 (January 1977, p. 3). So Contree’s original scope was mainly local and regional histories from everyday life but has slightly extended in 1996 to accommodate a multidisciplinary scholarship in regional studies, but still with a deepened historical departure. This scope change happened shortly after the recent day North-West University’s Mafikeng Campus took over the Contree’s editorial obligations from the University of Johannesburg. The name of the journal also then changed to New Contree. Several regional-related topical voices were introduced by the Editorial Advisory at the time, such as a political voice, economic voice, social voice etcetera. In 2008 the journal’s administration migrated to the North-West University’s Vaal Triangle Campus. At this time the Editorial Advisory Board further felt the need to clarify its journal focus. A journal subtitle for New Contree was developed namely the Journal of Historical and Human Sciences for Southern Africa. New Contree operated for 12 years under this extended title, while still emphasising regional and local histories in especially Southern Africa. However, from the December 2020 issue, the Editorial Advisory Board of New Contree has decided to rather strengthen its ownership of New Contree as only name for the journal, and that its existing focus will narrow down to accommodate and publish mainly research in local and regional histories (inclusive of urban and rural history) in Africa and Southern Africa in particular.
Publication frequency
The journal publishes one volume each year. Articles are published online when ready for publication and then printed in an end-of-year compilation. Additional collections may be published for special events (e.g. conferences) and when special themes are addressed.
Open access
This is an open-access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution.
Open access publishing
AOSIS is an open-access publisher, meaning all content is freely available without charge to the reader. Readers are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the books or use them for any other lawful purpose without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, provided that the work is appropriately cited.