GIRLHOOD STUDIES
An Interdisciplinary Journal

Call for Papers
Teaching Girlhood Studies

Girlhood Studies, as an academic discipline, is still growing. Since some educational institutions do include girls’ studies as part of a special curriculum, an academic program, a certificate course, a minor, or as part of Women’s Studies or Gender Studies, Girlhood Studies does have a presence in academia although at this stage rarely in an autonomous department. This interest in the pedagogies and practices of teaching Girlhood Studies is an important aspect of its growth as a field of study at university level, at school, and outside of formal academic settings.

Depending on these formal and informal educational contexts, the discussion of approaches to teaching girlhood can range from theoretical ones to outlining hands-on projects that invite and promote the discussion of girlhood so, for this special issue, we invite articles that address the teaching of Girlhood Studies in various contexts. The key questions that inform this special issue build on those that informed the creation of this journal: “What is girlhood studies”? How do we do girlhood studies? What is the relationship between women’s studies and girlhood studies? What is the relationship between girlhood studies and boyhood and masculinity studies?” (Mitchell et al. 2008: ix).

Contributors might like to explore the following questions:
• Why teach Girlhood Studies?
• Are there girlhood pedagogies?
• Are girlhood pedagogies also feminist pedagogies?
• Are we working with girls as equal participants in teaching and learning Girlhood Studies?
• What is the status of teaching Girlhood Studies and in which new directions should it go?
• How has the landscape of teaching Girlhood Studies changed?
• Who teaches Girlhood Studies?
• Who are students in Girlhood Studies courses? Whose voices are highlighted or whose are silenced?

Until recently, most of our questions related to teaching Girlhood Studies were based on teaching in a face to face environment. But, in March 2020, when courses were forced to move online, we were impelled to adapt our pedagogies to conform to virtual platforms. These experiences have raised different issues.
• Are there are virtual Girlhood Studies pedagogies, or do girlhood pedagogies flow between contexts? Are they sustainable in a solely virtual world?
• How can we move into a collaborative model to create and teach authentic girl-centered Girlhood Studies with girls in online spaces?

Articles may address teaching girlhood studies from various perspectives and academic disciplines including historical studies, literature, cultural studies, media studies, the study of juvenilia art, material and virtual culture (for example toys and games), girls and science, geographies of girlhood, education, and girl methodologies and methods, among others. Articles may present case studies or empirical research, may include or focus on artistic representations, or may be about theoretical or conceptual frameworks related to girlhood pedagogies. Teacher perspectives as well those of students are welcome. In addition to conventional articles, we will also consider creative contributions and material produced by (former or current) students of Girlhood Studies courses.

We are especially interested in contributions on teaching Girlhood Studies by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

Topics may also include, but are not limited to:
• Theories that inform our teaching of Girlhood Studies, such as intersectionality, entangled identities, and borderlands, among others
• Discussion of Girlhood Studies courses already taught, in progress, or proposed
• Teaching in non-classroom settings (in, for example, workshops for girls or about girlhood, non-profit education, and so on)
• Teaching Girlhood Studies at different levels (K-12, undergraduate, graduate)
• Collaborations with girls in the creation, development, and/or implementation of courses in Girlhood Studies
• Perspectives of current or former students of Girlhood Studies courses
• Teaching about girlhood in literature and/or media courses
• Inclusions of non-binary children in girlhood pedagogies and practices.
• Adapting pedagogical approaches because of COVID-19, such as creating or maintaining safe spaces on virtual platforms
• Reflections on assignments, projects, or creative activities for Girlhood Studies
• Studying girlhood through specific lenses or case studies involving, for example, the body, dolls, literature, popular culture, and film.

This special issue will be guest edited by Emily Aguiló-Pérez and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh.

Emily R. Aguiló-Pérez (she/her/hers) (ORCID: 0000-0001-5246-4585) is an Assistant Professor of English at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in children’s literature, girlhood studies, and children’s cultures (particularly Latinxs). Her work has appeared in The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children’s Literature (2016), Oxford Bibliographies in Childhood Studies (2017), and Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures (2019), among others. Her monograph, under contract, focuses on girlhood as represented in Puerto Rican girls’ identity formation with Barbie dolls. In addition, she is a reviewer for Latinxs in Kid Lit and is managing editor of Anansesem: The Caribbean Children’s Literature Magazine.

Jacqueline Reid-Walsh (she/her/hers) (ORCID: 0000-0003-3408-8453) is an Associate Professor at The Pennsylvania State University. Cross-appointed between the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on children’s books and on girl cultures. She is a specialist in children’s and girls’ literature, culture, and media past and present, having published on a range of topics like children’s popular culture, Barbie, Seventeen Magazine, and the Sims computer games. Her present focus is on old and new media and her latest book is called Interactive Books: Playful Media before Pop-ups (2018). She has an ongoing digital archive and blog project topic housed with Penn State University Libraries, which can be viewed at http://sites.psu.edu/play/.

Abstract and Article Submission

Abstracts are due by 15 October 2021 and should be sent to [log in to unmask]

Full manuscripts are due by 15 March 2022. Authors should provide a cover page giving brief biographical details (up to 100 words), institutional affiliation(s) and full contact information, including an email address.

Articles may be no longer than 6,500 words including the abstract (up to 125 words), keywords (6 to 8 in alphabetical order), notes, captions and tables, acknowledgments, biographical details, and references. Images in a text count for 200 words each. Authors are responsible for securing copyright for any images used.

Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, follows Berghahn’s preferred house style, a modified Chicago Style. Please refer to the Style Guide online: journals.berghahnbooks.com/_uploads/ghs/girlhood-studies_style_guide.pdf

For more information, please see www.berghahnjournals.com/girlhood-studies

Reference
Mitchell, Claudia, Jacqueline Reid-Walsh, and Jackie Kirk. 2008. “Welcome to This Inaugural 
Issue of Girlhood Studies.” Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal 1 (1): vii–xv. 
https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2008.010101.

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